In Tokyo, 30 household cats were confronted with a simple choice: three plastic tubes, with three different odors. The choice was at least interesting.
What the cats did can subtly change the way we think About our feline companions.
According to the experiment, they were given to choose three bottles: one contained the smell of their beloved owner, another the odor of a complete stranger and the third was clean and without smell.
According to a new study at PLOS One, domestic cats can distinguish between the smell of a family person and that of a stranger. And not just recognize the difference – demonstrate a clara Preference for the unknown.
Cats consistently spent more time smelling of the odors from strangers than the smell of their owners or the neutral tube.
“This suggests that cats use smell to recognize humans,” they wrote Yutaro Miyaii and his colleagues from the University of Agriculture of Tokyo.
The experience was held at each cat’s house to reduce the stress And maximize cooperation – something that is not always easy with cats.
To collect human odors, the volunteers rubbed cotontes behind the ears, the armpits and the toes. The cotontes were then placed in sterile tubes to avoid contamination. To ensure that nothing interfered with the results, volunteers avoided perfumes and strong smelling foods for 24 hours.
The cats smelled the tubes while they were filmed with a GoPro chamber. When analyzing the videos, frame to frame, a pattern emerged: Cats smelled the odor of the stranger for an average of 4.8 seconds – about twice the time they smelling the owner’s odor (2.4 seconds) and much more than the neutral tube (1.9 seconds).
“Smelling an unknown stimulus for longer has been observed before in cats,” he said Hidehiko Uchiyamathe main author of the study, to the BBC.
But the team did not definitely affirm that cats can identify specific people as their owners. Interestingly, when the cats found a new smell, they tended to use the right nostril first.
Over time, they started using the left. This behavior – called nostril – It is similar to what is seen in dogs and horses, and can reflect the way the brain processes the information.
Even more curious: the cats who smelled the odor with one of the nostrils often rubbed the same side of the face against the tube. And there was a pattern: rubbing the face was linked to traces such as “impulsiveness” (with neutral tubes) and “proximity” with the owner (with the tubes with the smell of the owner).
However, not all cats reacted the same way. Researchers applied a feline personality test – the so -called “Feline Five” – which analyzes traits such as neuroticism, kindness and impulsiveness. They also used the Cors scale (Cat-Owner Relationship Scale) to Measure the emotional connection with the owner.
“The left nostril is used for family smells and the right to new or potentially alarming smells,” Uchiyama explained. “The right brain is likely to be involved in the processing of emotionally relevant odors.”
This type of behavior is known as lateralization – A tendency to one side of the brain or body assume certain functions. In this case, cats may be processing new human smells in the right hemisphere of the brain and moving left when the smell becomes familiar. However, It is not yet clear how to interpret this data.
Carlo Siracusaexpert in animal behavior at the University of Pennsylvania (who did not participate in the study), requested some containment in the conclusion about the study.
“The study did not prove that the right side of the brain was activated,” he noted. “Brain tests, not just behavior, would be needed to draw this conclusion. But still, it is important information. This is how science advances: Everything has to be demonstrated”.
After the smelling phase, many cats rubbed their face in the tubes – a behavior that may seem affectionatebut which serves a more practical purpose: mark territory with the smell of its facial glands.
Cats have glands on cheeks that release pheromonas when they rub objects. In doing so, they are Complain the object as part of its territory.
In this study, most cats rubbed the side of the face corresponding to the nostril used to smell – another track that smell can be the first step to “claim”Something.
Male cats with more neurotic personalities were more likely to smell the tubes, suggesting anxiety or hypervigilance. The most “kindly” males smelled calmerly. On the other hand, females did not show a clear connection between personality and behavior.
In addition, the initial choice of which tube smelling seemed to be related to the personality. Cats that first went to the neutral tube had higher scores in neuroticism. Those who chose odors (owner or stranger) tended to be more outgoing and sociable.
These subtle behaviors point to more complex cognitive processes.
“It is possible that the cat managed to detect odor molecules even before approaching his nose,” the authors suggested.
So, cats know us by the smell? It depends on what you understand for “knowing”. Recognize the smellthere is no doubt. But if they can associate it directly with a specific individual, it is something that It is not yet known for sure.
“In this study, stimuli were only known and unknown people,” said Uchiyama. “It would be accurate experiences with multiple people known to evaluate this.”
Serenella d’Esseoresearcher at the University of Bari who studies the cat’s response to human odor, agrees. “We don’t know how the animal felt when it smells,” he said. “For example, we don’t know if it was relaxed or tense.” He also said that the presence of owners during the experiments may have influenced cat behavior.
“The owners bring not only their visual presence, but also their odor,” he said. “Therefore, if other other odors are present from the usual, it may involve more.”
This study joins a growing line of investigation that shows that cats, although often distant, are quite alert to human signs. Previous studies have already shown that cats recognize the owner’s voice, follow the human look and adjust the behavior depending on the owner’s emotional state.
However, research on social cognition in cats is still far behind dogs. Cats often resist participation in behavioral experiences – which makes this study, which successfully involved 30 cats, Even more impressive.
“I congratulate these scientists because they are able to involve 30 cats in these experiences,” said Syracuse. “Most cats just don’t want to know about your investigation.”
Therefore, the next time your cat smells like him, he remembers: he may be reading it-literally-like a smell book.
Teresa Oliveira Campos, Zap //
