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Cat Communication and Pheromones
What Is the Flehmen Response in Cats?
What Does the Flehmen Response Look Like?
Causes
Do I Need to Be Worried About the Flehmen Response?
Have you ever seen your cat pull a face as in the event that they’ve simply smelt essentially the most disgusting factor ever? Eyes closed, mouth huge open, lip curled in, neck prolonged—it’s an expression that actually resembles repulsion. This is definitely a pure reflex often known as the Flehmen response (generally known as the Flehmen grimace or response too). And, apparently, it has nothing to do with detecting a foul scent.
Rather, it’s a method that cats (and another species) have developed with a purpose to course of sure pheromones. So, what’s it, and why do cats do it? First, we have to perceive the aforementioned pheromones.
Cat Communication and the Role of Pheromones
Pheromones are messenger molecules that cats use to speak with one another. They are chemical substances which might be secreted exterior of the physique in fluids like urine and sweat. Essentially, pheromones are a hidden type of communication. Certain species use them as alerts from one particular person to a different.
Examples of ways in which cats use pheromones embody:
- Rubbing their cheeks onto issues
- Urinating on objects and surfaces to “mark their territory”
- Emptying the contents of their anal glands when they’re careworn or fearful (these are two scent glands on both aspect of the anus)
- Butting their head towards somebody, which identifies her or him as “safe”
Image Credit: Maria Wan, Shutterstock
What Is the Flehmen Response in Cats?
The Flehmen response is a traditional behavioral response that cats “perform” once they detect sure pheromones. In day-to-day life, cats are continuously responding to stimuli; these stimuli might be odors, pheromones, sounds, tastes, and extra. By utilizing the Flehmen response, cats are capable of course of smells and pheromones, after which entry the knowledge it is likely to be telling them.
The level of the Flehmen response is to deliver the air holding the scent or odor over one thing known as the vomeronasal organ (additionally known as the Jacobson’s organ). When cats carry out the Flehmen response, two small ducts behind the incisor enamel of the highest jaw open up. The opening of those ducts permits the scent or pheromone to journey to the vomeronasal organ.
This organ is a small little bump on the roof of the mouth that processes pheromones and hormones—not simply these of different cats, but in addition potential predator and prey species. It perceives the scent as one thing greater than only a scent, however lower than a vibration.
From right here, the alerts journey to the scent middle of the mind, after which to the hypothalamus. This is an important and busy a part of the mind that may affect reproductive hormones and habits.
We’ve damaged the pathway down into a number of steps, however in actual time the entire course of happens in seconds, or much less. Your cat can then resolve what to do with the acquired data. They may run or they may do nothing; they may urinate or sleep; or they may go on the lookout for a possible mating accomplice.
What Does the Flehmen Response Look Like?
If you haven’t caught your cat truly finishing up a Flehmen response, you’re in all probability questioning what this outstanding and curious face-pulling truly seems like.
Your cat will assume a facial features as if they’ve smelt one thing very disagreeable. They normally maintain their mouths huge open and curl their higher lip. This exposes the higher entrance enamel, often known as the incisors. While they do all of this, cats are inhaling to transmit the scent to that vomeronasal organ of their mouth.
In some cases, cats will stretch their neck out or maintain their head at a humorous angle to optimize the processing of the scents and odors. Your cat will solely maintain this pose for a minute or much less, earlier than resuming their regular expression and actions. If the messages aren’t tremendous clear, they could carry out the Flehmen response a second or third time.
Image Credit: I Wei Huang, Shutterstock
What Causes the Flehmen Response in Cats?
It would appear logical that the Flehmen response is an involuntary or instinctive motion, however cats truly should resolve to do it. The Flehmen response is a voluntary motion taken by cats when they’re uncovered to an attention-grabbing odor or pheromone of one other animal (usually one other cat).
The Flehmen response is often utilized by male cats smelling feminine cats’ urine to evaluate if she is able to mate. However, it may be utilized by any cat once they come throughout a scent that they deem worthy of additional investigation.
Do I Need to Be Worried About the Flehmen Response?
No—the Flehmen response is completely regular cat habits. Despite its unusual look, there may be nothing to fret about, and your cat shouldn’t be in any discomfort or ache. Your cat will usually be completely calm.
The Flehmen response needs to be distinguished from cats which might be respiratory with their mouth open for a chronic time period. These cats will usually be in misery and have labored or fast respiratory. Open-mouth respiratory actually is regarding and warrants a go to to the veterinarian.
Image Credit: FloriCos, Shutterstock
Conclusion
Many different animals exhibit the Flehmen response, together with horses, giraffes, lions, tigers, and extra. Some folks could have a vomeronasal organ, however they don’t seem to be purposeful in folks; in different phrases, they’re a remnant of evolution that we don’t use.
We hope this text has helped you perceive this distinctive habits out of your feline!
Sources
- https://www.petmd.com/cat/general-health/cat-sneering-what-flehmen-response
- https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/why-cats-sniff-butts
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1167581/
Featured Image Credit: Bea Llonador, Shutterstock
The publish Why Do Cats Open Their Mouth When They Smell? Reasons Explained (Vet Answer) by Dr. Joe Mallat DVM (Veterinarian) appeared first on Catster. Copying over whole articles infringes on copyright legal guidelines. You will not be conscious of it, however all of those articles had been assigned, contracted and paid for, so they don’t seem to be thought-about public area. However, we recognize that you simply just like the article and would like it should you continued sharing simply the primary paragraph of an article, then linking out to the remainder of the piece on Catster.com.
