2023-11-19 07:00:14
Researchers at the University of California, Davis, recently shed light on an intriguing aspect of feline communication. Their study, published in Scientific Reports on November 8, reveals how our feline friends, using smells, transmit crucial messages to each other, thanks to bacteria (Bacteria (Bacteria) are single-celled, prokaryotic living organisms, characterized. ..) lodging in their anal glands.
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It has long been known that many mammals use odors to communicate, but this groundbreaking research reveals the dominant role of bacteria in formulating olfactory signals in cats domestics. The results were obtained following an in-depth analysis (In aerodynamics, thrust is the force exerted by the movement of air…) of the secretions of the anal glands of 23 domestic cats followed in hospital (A hospital is a place intended to care for people suffering from…) university of medicine (Medicine (from the Latin medicus, “which heals”) is the science and…) veterinary medicine UC Davis.
The team of researchers led by Connie Rojas, in collaboration with Professor Jonathan Eisen of the Department of Evolution and Ecology and the Genome Center at UC Davis, employed an arsenal of cutting-edge techniques. DNA sequencing, mass spectrometry (mass spectrometry or MS) is a physical technique for analyzing… ) and microbial culture made it possible to examine the chemical compounds and microbes present in these secretions.
The results are astonishing: five major bacterial genera (Corynebacterium, Bacteroides, Proteus, Lactobacillus and Streptococcus) were identified, dominating the microbial composition of the anal glands in the cats studied. Even more intriguing, the researchers observed a significant variation in this composition depending on the age of the felines as well as their state of health, particularly among those considered obese.
Analysis of chemical compounds in these secretions revealed the presence of hundreds of organic compounds. The researchers strongly suggest that these substances might be produced by bacteria housed in the anus of cats, a hypothesis which will however require more research to be fully confirmed, in particular by expanding the study sample.
This discovery opens the way to new research perspectives on animal communication, revealing the crucial role of bacteria in the formulation of odors in domestic cats. The implications of this study might also extend to other species of felines, thus broadening our understanding of animal communication beyond of the world of pet cats.
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