It’s well known that cats recognize each other through their scent and also use their odors to mark territory, attract mates, repel rivals, and communicate in various other ways. It now appears that the bacteria in cats’ anal glands are doing a lot of the talking.
Researchers reporting in Scientific Reports found literally hundreds of organic compounds that contribute to scents in a cat’s anal glands, and genetic analysis showed that bacteria could be responsible for making them. They also found what they call “striking variation among individual cats” in terms of bacterial composition, suggesting that the “language” of scent that cats use to “talk” is a rich one indeed.
