Cats Communicate Using Bacteria-Derived Odors, Study Finds

Research from the University of California, Davis, reveals the role of bacteria in feline communication, with implications for understanding scent-based animal interactions.

• Cats communicate with each other using odors derived from bacteria living in their anal glands, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.
• The study used DNA sequencing, mass spectrometry and microbial culturing to analyze the secretions and microbes in the anal glands of 23 domestic cats.
• Five genera of bacteria (Corynebacterium, Bacteroides, Proteus, Lactobacillus and Streptococcus) were found to dominate, but the microbial makeup varied between individual cats.
• The researchers detected hundreds of organic compounds in the anal glands, and genetic analysis suggests the resident bacteria could be responsible for creating these compounds.
• The study's findings hint at the possibility that changes in a cat's bacterial community could lead to functional scent changes, but more research is needed to establish a causal relationship.

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