Olfaction is an important sense for cats, and it's related to their social behavior, but in a study, owner-scented objects did not have a stress-reducing effect. Unlike human babies, anxious cats aren't comforted by objects that smell like their favorite person.
Researchers asked 42 cat owners to bring their cats and something that smelled like themselves – a shoe, a sock, a nightshirt, or a blanket – to an unfamiliar testing room. Each owner sat in the middle of a 2-meter-wide circle on the floor, while their cat was allowed to roam freely throughout the room. The owner left the cat alone and then the owners returned after the cat had been alone for a period. The majority of the cats showed signs of bonding with their owners, rubbing against them when they returned to the room and meowing nervously when they were absent. The cats generally paid no attention to the scented object and didn't act any calmer than when they were alone without the object.
In fact, 38 percent of them were more vocal when the scented object was in the room than when they were alone without it. Many of the cats even appeared less reassured by their owners' presence if they had been given the scented object as a substitute first. That could be because cats need more general social interaction with their owner.
The findings suggest owners could do most cats a favor by not leaving them with their odors during absences. Instead, owners could try to be physically present with their cats, if the cat needs to experience a new environment or other stressful situations.
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