| SYNTHETIC FACIAL PHEROMONE IN CATS
Jean K. Reichle, DVM, MS, DACVR Animal Imaging (CT and MRI) 1827 Pontius West LA, CA 90025 Pheromones are behavior-modifying agents, or hormones, produced by many animal and insect species. When cats rub their face on an item, they are applying facial pheromone as a way to identify their territory. Once pheromone is present, the cat will not have the urge to mark the item with urine. The presence of the facial pheromone results in making the cat calmer and more �at home,� decreasing the cat�s impulse to mark its territory with urine. Feline facial pheromone has been synthetically reproduced and marketed as Feliway�, which comes in a 60 ml bottle and is applied as a colorless and non-staining spray. It was marketed to reassure cats in strange surroundings and to control inappropriate urine marking behavior (spraying) in female and neutered male cats. It can be applied to a towel or the walls of the cat carrier to decrease stress of traveling; to a towel or the cage itself when the patient is boarded or hospitalized; or to areas the cat has urinated on inappropriately, such as furniture or carpeting. The synthetic pheromone is carried in an alcohol solution (ethanol) which should be allowed to evaporate before the cat smells it; therefore the manufacturer recommends spraying Feliway� approximately 30 minutes prior to allowing the cat exposure to the sprayed item. A study was conducted at Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital that evaluated the effect of the synthetic pheromone on the behavior and food intake of hospitalized cats. Some cats were healthy (7) and some were clinically ill (13). In the first portion of the study, cats were placed in a cage with a towel in which Feliway� or the ethanol vehicle alone had been sprayed. The cats were videotaped for two hours and food intake was measured during this time. Cats with exposure to Feliway� had significant increases in grooming and interest in food. In the second portion of this study, cats were observed for 24 hours after being placed in a cage with a towel sprayed with Feliway�; some of these cats had a cat carrier placed in the cage, while others did not. Cats with exposure to Feliway� and a cat carrier had significantly greater food intake than cats without a carrier in the cage. The results of this study suggest that exposure to synthetic feline facial pheromone may be useful in increasing the food intake of hospitalized cats. The presence of a cat carrier in the cage may also make the cat feel more comfortable, and provide a place to hide and sleep. While Feliway� will not make a healthy cat eat more, it may relax a cat in an unusual environment so that it is more likely to eat. Do not get the wrong impression: this will not increase your normal, healthy show cat�s body weight! But it may make your cat more comfortable in a strange environment and in some instances, such as boarding or hospitalization, more likely to eat. * * * * * * * * CA Griffith, ES Steigerwald, CA Buffington, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 2000;217:1154-1156 |
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