While the gut microbiome has been gaining a lot of attention for its potential role in health and disease, it appears that the butt microbiome is important in feline communication. How many times have you seen cats sniffing each other?
Brave researchers at the University of California at Davis explored this hidden side of cat communication and published their findings in Scientific Reports.
The researchers identified both the bacterial species as well as the volatile (i.e. smelly) chemicals produced by anal glands in 23 cats. They were able to identify several bacteria that were surprisingly quite variable between cats. These included Corynebacterium, Bacteroides, Proteus, Lactobacillus, as well as Streptococcus. They also found differences in metabolites including fatty acids, alcohols, aldehydes, as well as ketones between cats. These findings suggest that variations in anal gland bacteria could be responsible for producing the different volatile chemical compositions that give each cat their unique scent.
Your secret is out, kitty…
Source:
CA Rojas, SL Marks, E Borras, H Lesea, MM McCartney, DA Coil, CE Davis, JA Eisen. Characterization of the microbiome and volatile compounds in anal gland secretions from domestic cats (Felis catus) using metagenomics and metabolomics. Scientific Reports. 13: 19382, 2023.
Categories: Feline, Intelligence and Neuroscience, Pets
Tags: cat, communication, metabolomic, microbiome, scent, smell
Life Lines by Dr. Dolittle 