Journal
JOURNAL OF ETHOLOGY
Volume 30, Issue 2, Pages 325-329Publisher
SPRINGER TOKYO
DOI: 10.1007/s10164-011-0321-x
Keywords
Felis catus; Faecal odours; Familiarity; Sniffing durations; Olfactory communication
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We studied the ability of domestic cats to distinguish familiarity based on faecal odours. This was evaluated by comparing the sniffing duration of cats' own, familiar, and unfamiliar faeces. We found that (1) sniffing durations differed between unfamiliar faeces and the other types of faeces, (2) sniffing durations of faeces of the same unfamiliar individuals decreased over time, and (3) sniffing durations toward unfamiliar faeces increased after change of donors. These results indicate that domestic cats can distinguish the faecal odours based on familiarity. This ability could be adaptive for domestic cats to maintain their social relationships.
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