🧬 The Felid Wiki — 3,000 research summaries

The feline response to silver vine begins when olfactory sensory neurons detect nepetalactol and related iridoids. This overview surveys how the cat's sense of smell registers these compounds and init…

The quality and developmental competence of eggs decline with maternal age, contributing to reduced fertility in older female cats. This overview surveys research on how aging affects felid oocytes, i…

Although less commonly trained than dogs, cats learn readily through operant conditioning, and this overview surveys research and applied work on training them. It covers the use of positive reinforce…

The chemicals and protocols used to protect sperm during freezing strongly determine how many survive thawing with intact function. This overview surveys research aimed at optimizing cryoprotectants a…

Osteoarthritis is far more common in cats than once recognized, with radiographic studies showing degenerative joint changes in a large majority of older cats, yet the disease is frequently underdiagn…

Within the vestibular system, the otolith organs, the utricle and saccule, sense linear acceleration and the pull of gravity, complementing the rotation-sensing semicircular canals. This overview surv…

Stimulating the ovaries with exogenous gonadotropins to produce multiple follicles is a key step in collecting eggs or preparing females for insemination in cats. This overview surveys ovarian stimula…

Grafting felid ovarian tissue into immunodeficient host animals is an experimental method for maturing follicles and recovering oocytes from banked or rescued tissue. This overview surveys research on…

Synchronizing ovulation with the delivery of semen is essential for successful artificial insemination, since eggs and sperm must meet within a narrow window. This overview surveys methods for timing…

Reducing cat predation depends on owner willingness to change behaviour, so social research has examined how owners view their cats' hunting and proposed interventions. This overview surveys studies o…

A growing line of research examines how owners' own personality traits relate to their cats' behaviour, health and welfare, paralleling parenting-style research in humans. This overview surveys studie…

Oxytocin, a hormone involved in social bonding, has been studied in dogs during owner interaction, and researchers have asked whether cats show comparable hormonal responses. This overview surveys the…

Feline panleukopenia, caused by feline parvovirus, was historically a devastating, highly fatal disease of cats, especially kittens, before effective vaccines dramatically reduced its incidence and ma…

Cats cool themselves differently from humans, and this overview reviews their reliance on panting and limited sweating. Lacking extensive sweat glands over the body, cats have sweat glands mainly on t…

A cat's temperament is shaped not only by early experience but by inheritance, and this overview surveys evidence that the father contributes to kitten boldness and friendliness. It examines studies i…

Feline diabetes mellitus most closely resembles human type 2 diabetes, characterized by insulin resistance combined with impaired insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells, often in the setting of…

Individual cats often favour one paw when reaching for food or stepping, and laterality research has linked this to underlying brain organisation and even temperament. This overview surveys studies me…

Periodontal disease, the inflammation and destruction of tissues supporting the teeth driven by plaque bacteria, is extremely common in adult cats and a leading reason for dental intervention, progres…

Blood flow to the skin and extremities is a key thermoregulatory tool, and this overview reviews its role in cats. By adjusting circulation to the paws, ears, and other peripheral areas, cats can shed…

Reliable personality assessment helps match cats to homes and tailor care, and this overview surveys research developing and validating temperament tests for shelter and pet cats. It covers behavioura…

Consistent individual differences in cats extend to how they cope with stress, linking behaviour to physiology. This overview surveys research relating feline personality dimensions such as boldness a…

Pheromones are chemical signals that convey information between members of a species, and cats rely heavily on them for social and territorial communication. This overview surveys how cats detect pher…

The ultimate limit on night vision is how efficiently an eye captures and counts individual photons. This overview surveys research framing the cat eye in terms of quantum catch, including the contrib…

The functional payoff of the tapetum lucidum is that it gives photons a second pass through the photoreceptor layer, raising the probability of absorption and effectively boosting sensitivity. This ov…

The cat-human relationship has measurable physiological dimensions, and this overview surveys research probing them. It covers studies of behavioural and hormonal responses, including investigations o…

The shape of the external ear filters incoming sound in frequency-dependent ways, creating spectral cues the brain uses to judge a sound's elevation and to refine localization. This overview surveys h…

Play is a prominent feature of cat behaviour and closely related to predation, and this overview surveys research on its forms, development and role in welfare. It examines object play that mimics hun…

Young cats engage in object and social play that is widely thought to help develop the motor patterns and coordination underlying predatory behavior. This overview surveys studies of play in kittens a…

Play is a key part of the human-cat bond and an outlet for predatory motivation, and this overview surveys research on interactive and object play in companion cats. It covers how cats respond to toys…

Polydactyly, the presence of extra toes, is a common congenital trait in cats caused by dominant mutations in a limb-development regulatory region near the Sonic hedgehog gene. This overview surveys t…