Feline Communication 39
perceived competition with other cats, either those living in the same household or neigh-
bouring cats that invade or are perceived as potential invaders to the cat’s core territory.
Spraying could therefore be a territorial behaviour but it is unclear what message
is being conveyed. Hypotheses include the following:
● It might be a simple warning to other cats. Cats do not, however, appear to avoid
spray marks made by other cats; in fact, they will often spend a long time investi-
gating them (Bradshaw and Cameron-Beaumont, 2000). It is therefore unlikely
that spraying is performed solely as a means of contact avoidance, or as a warning
to an ‘intruder’ to leave the territory.
● The scent might be deposited to allow an intruder to recognize the territory owner
by comparison of the scent deposited and the scent of the cat that left the scent
mark. This could only work, however, if the two cats had already met.
● The urine mark might contain information about the depositor’s health and com-
petitive ability, allowing the invader to consider its chances of winning a confron-
tation and the potential risks involved.
● Because the chemicals in the urine degrade over time, the strength of the scent
might give the investigator some idea of how long ago the scent mark was pro-
duced so when the depositor was last in the area.
● Leaving a scent mark might even be a coping strategy for the depositor, either by
increasing his scent profile or by allowing increased predictability and control by
providing himself with information of where extra vigilance may be required
(Bowen and Heath, 2005; Bradshaw et al., 2012).
Faeces
Although many carnivores use faeces as a part of olfactory communication, there is
no definite evidence that this is the case with domestic cats. Nakabayashi et al. (2012)
found that cats spend longer sniffing the faeces of unfamiliar cats compared to the
time spent sniffing their own or that of a familiar cat, suggesting that some olfactory
information might be conveyed in faeces. But further studies are needed. It has also
been observed that feral and farm cats are more likely to bury their faeces close to the
core territory and leave those deposited in hunting areas or at the boundary of the
territory exposed, suggesting the possible use of faeces as a territory marker (Feldman,
1994b; Bradshaw and Cameron-Beaumont, 2000). But another explanation for this
behaviour is that there is simply greater incentive to bury faeces closer to the core
territory for hygienic purposes and to avoid attracting potential predators.
References
Amat, M., Camps, T. and Mantecu, X. (2015) Stress in owned cats, behavioural changes and
welfare applications. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 18, 577–586.
Bowen, J. and Heath, S. (2005) Behaviour Problems in Small Animals. Practical Advice for
the Veterinary Team. Saunders Ltd, Elsevier, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Bradshaw, J.W.S. (1992) The Behaviour of the Domestic Cat. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.
Bradshaw, J.W.S. and Cameron-Beaumont, C. (2000) The signalling repertoire of the domestic
cat and its undomesticated relatives. In: Turner, D.C. and Bateson, P. (eds) The Domestic