How Do Different Smells Affect a Cat's Behavior?

Smelling or olfaction plays a central role in the lives of cats. Smells assist a cat to recognize other individuals and are important during sexual activity, feeding and elimination. Cats possess a well-developed sense of smell from birth, being guided back to its preferred nipple on the nursing female by smell. Kittens use smell to locate their nest, and can recognize offensive odors as early as the second day after birth. From four weeks of age, as the kitten is being weaned from its mother, it relies on smell in order to recognize edible items.

  1. Social Interaction

    • Cats exchange olfactory information when they meet up. Felines approach each other face to face and then change to a face to anus position. Both familiar individuals as well as nonaggressive newcomers are greeted in this way, and the cat receives important information regarding the other animal from the pheromones produced by the anal and facial glands.

    Food Preferences

    • Cats sniff their food before eating and typically walk away from food that does not appeal to their sense of smell. Select smells are highly attractive to cats, one of which is the herb catnip. Cats are able to detect the volatile oils contained within the leaves, particularly after they begin to chew or roll on the herb. Smells released by catnip often excite domestic cats to the point that they spring into the air.

    Spraying

    • All cats may spray, but territorial scent-marking is most commonly seen in males. Scent-marking is a means of communication among felines, and alerts both friends and foes to their presence. Odors contained in the urine of unneutered toms signal not only his presence but his status as well. The elevated levels of estrogen in the urine of queens, together with anal gland secretions, produce a highly pungent smell, which attracts potential mates. Domestic cats typically spray when in new surroundings or after the arrival of a new cat. The smell associated with the urine boosts the confidence of the animal that left the scent marking.

    Insecurity

    • Nervous cats can become unsettled by the strange smells brought into a house by visitors. The actual smell of strangers in the house may also disturb very nervous felines. These cats will also become very insecure after redecorating, which removes the old, familiar smells. In all these cases, the cat will respond by marking or remarking areas in the house. These are normally vertical surfaces near doorways, but may be the television set or the owner's bed.