Research overview: individual chemical signatures in cats

Each cat may carry a distinctive chemical signature encoded in its scent marks and body odor, allowing other cats to recognize individuals. This overview surveys the idea that the mixture of compounds in urine, glandular secretions, and body scent varies among individuals enough to convey identity. Such individual signatures would support the social and territorial functions of marking, letting a cat distinguish a familiar companion's mark from a stranger's. The survey relates individual odor to the chemistry of the various scent sources and to detection by the olfactory and vomeronasal systems. It discusses the possible contributions of genetics, diet, and microbial activity to individual scent. Understanding individual chemical signatures explains how scent marking can convey not just that a cat passed by but which cat it was. It frames feline odor as a personal identifier, underpinning the recognition that organizes social and territorial life among cats.