ScienceScienceDailyScientists discover a hidden “ID card” in cat urine
Scientists found 13 unusual fatty acids in cat urine that act like a chemical ID card, letting cats recognise each other long-term.
Cats may identify one another through a surprisingly durable chemical “calling card” made from 13 unusual fatty acids in their urine. The compounds appear linked to mysterious fat droplets in the kidneys and may represent a scent-recognition system shared across the cat family.
Researchers from Japan, Germany and Spain identified a group of fatty acids in cat urine that appear to work as a lasting individual scent signature.
The 13 branched-chain fatty acids varied between cats but stayed consistent within the same animal, and cats could detect the differences in behavioural tests.
The study, due in Current Biology, suggests cats may hold long-term memories of other cats' scents, helping explain how they navigate their social world.
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