Scientists pinpoint the chemicals behind a cat's signature urine smell
Researchers identified 13 branched-chain fatty acids that keep each cat’s urine odor stable, offering clues to feline communication and scent recognition.
8 Articles
8 Articles
The urine left by a cat can reveal much more than the mere presence of another animal. According to a new study, it contains a combination of substances that works as a kind of "identity card" for each feline.What the
Secret 'messages' in cat pee let felines identify each other — and scientists just cracked the code
Cats can identify each other based on the scent of their pee, and researchers have just decoded the secret "messages" that make that possible. A group of chemicals called branched-chain fatty acids (BFAs) help give cats their unique scent marks, a new study found. Unusual fat droplets in the cats' kidneys likely help them maintain that chemical fingerprint in each mark. The researchers reported their findings Aug.ust 19 in the journal Current Bi…
Cats likely identify one another by fatty acids in urine: research
TOKYO, Aug. 20 (Jiji Press) -- An international group of researchers, including those from Japan's Iwate University, has said that cats likely identify one another by distinguishing the unique types and ratios of fatty acids when they smell their urine.The team's findings were published in the online edition of U.S. scientific journal Current Biology on Wednesday.Masao Miyazaki, a professor at the Japanese university, and other members of the te…
Whose scent is this, meow? A joint international research group centered at Iwate University has concluded that each cat's urine contains unique fatty acids, and that these scents may serve as a kind of "business card" for each cat. The experiment…
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