Pheromones Affect Eating Behavior in Hospitalized Cats Researchers at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Ohio State University, studied the effects of a facial pheromone on the behavior of hospitalized cats. Pheromones are chemical substances produced by an animal to serve as a stimulus for behavioral responses to others of the same species.
Different glands secrete different pheromones which affect a number of behaviors.
The pheromones that come from the glands on the face generally have a calming effect on cats. In the study, ill and healthy cats were divided into two groups. The cats in the first group were placed in cages in which a towel sprayed with the facial pheromone had been added. The other cats were in cages with a towel that had not been sprayed with the pheromone. The cats were videotaped for 125 minutes and their behaviors recorded.