Research overview: scent communication networks among cats

Solitary and group-living cats alike rely on a network of chemical signals to coordinate behaviour without constant contact. This overview surveys research on the feline scent-communication system, integrating urine spraying, faecal marking, facial and flank rubbing, interdigital secretions from scratching, and vomeronasal sampling via flehmen. It discusses how these signals convey identity, reproductive status, recency, and tenure, and how cats build and read a shared olfactory landscape across overlapping ranges. It connects the separate marking behaviours into a single communicative framework. The topic shows how chemical signalling underpins spacing, mate finding, and group cohesion in a family of largely solitary predators.