When a feline smells something, it often embraces an unusual facial expression, apparently surprised by the odor of a smelly item.

Why do felines truly make this strange “stink face?” Ends up it has absolutely nothing to do with undesirable smells– it’s really an indication that they’re evaluating chemical signals in their environment.

Lots of animals, consisting of wild and domestic felinesrelease scents– chemical signals utilized for interaction in between members of the exact same types. To identify and understand these unnoticeable messages, our feline buddies count on an unique sensory organ in the roofing system of their mouths called the vomeronasal organ or “Jacobson’s organ.”

This organ is different from the olfactory system (i.e. the nose), which discovers smells however not scents, Alex Taylorfeline health and wellbeing and habits consultant at International Cat Careinformed Live Science in an e-mail.

When a feline encounters scents, it processes them in a different way from smells. The feline intuitively opens its mouth a little, lips curled back, showing a habits called the “Flehmen response.” This expression makes it simpler for scent particles to reach the vomeronasal organ, improving the feline’s capability to sense essential chemical hints.

“This can look like the cat is grimacing, but there is no emotional aspect to this behaviour – the cat is just detecting and processing pheromones,” Taylor stated.

Related: Why do felines ‘chatter’?

Felines utilize scents to interact different messages: they can utilize them to mark area without taking part in battling or to reinforce the bond in between moms and kitties, Taylor described. Pheromones likewise communicate details about sexual status, showing when a feline remains in heat, stated Mikel Delgadoa senior research study researcher at Purdue University Veterinary College of Medicine in Indiana.

Scents are produced by specific glands found in numerous locations around a feline’s body, consisting of the chin, cheeks, the area in between eyes and ears, edges of the lips, base of the tail, around the genital areas and rectum, in between the paws and in between the teats, Taylor stated.

When felines rub their faces on furnishings, scratch surface areas, spray urine or defecate, they leave chemical messages for other felines, Delgado informed Live Science in an e-mail. Later on, other felines utilize their vomeronasal organ to examine these scent marks and collect details about their feline next-door neighbors.

Throughout the Flehmen action, scent particles go into a feline’s mouth– either through licking or inhalation– and liquify in saliva. They then take a trip through 2 passages in the roofing system of the mouth, called the nasopalatine ducts, which result in the set of fluid-filled sacs that comprise the vomeronasal organ, Taylor stated.

When scent particles reach the vomeronasal organ, they activate nerve signals that take a trip to particular locations of the brain, particularly the amygdala area of the hypothalamus and an area that manages sexual, feeding and social habits, Taylor stated. In this method, chemical hints got by the vomeronasal organ straight affect a feline’s habits.

Unlike smells, the significance of which is found out and can alter with brand-new experiences, scents activate instinctive reactions. A feline does not require to “learn” what a scent implies– the understanding is hardwired into its biology, Taylor stated. While actions to scents are automated, they can still be affected by elements such as a feline’s advancement, environments, previous experiences, and internal state like hormonal agent levels, according to an evaluation released in the Journal of Comparative Physiology A

The vomeronasal organ isn’t special to felines. A series of animals, whatever from rodents to reptiles, likewise utilize this 2nd sense of odor to identify scents.

“The advantage of the Jacobson’s organ is that animals can detect a wider range of molecules in the environment than animals lacking that organ,” Jonathan Lososan evolutionary biologist at Washington University in St. Louis, informed Live Science in an e-mail.

“Dogs are famous for their keen sense of smell, but that refers to their capabilities in their nasal passage,” Losos stated. “Cats have three times as many different types of scent detectors in the Jacobson’s organ as dogs, which leads some experts to suggest that, overall, cat sense of smell may be comparable to that of dogs.”

An evolutionary residue of the vomeronasal organ, is even discovered in people within the nasal septum, however there’s no strong proof that this vestigial variation contributes in chemical interaction today.

For felines nevertheless, the vomeronasal organ is an effective tool that allows them to analyze crucial social info in their environment. To estimate Scottish author and poet Sir Walter Scott: “Cats are a mysterious kind of folk. There is more passing in their minds than we are aware of.”

Clarissa Brincat is a self-employed author focusing on health and medical research study. After finishing an MSc in chemistry, she recognized she would rather blog about science than do it. She found out how to modify clinical documents in a stint as a chemistry copyeditor, before proceeding to a medical author function at a health care business. Composing for medical professionals and specialists has its benefits, however Clarissa wished to interact with a larger audience, which naturally led her to freelance health and science writing. Her work has actually likewise appeared in Medscape, HealthCentral and Medical News Today.