Why does cat urine smell so bad?

You don’t have to have it to know that cat urine It’s pretty smelly. If a cute kitty just left his gift on the wall or even did it a while ago, its scent will not go unnoticed. However, when this is done in a sandbox, the smell is not as unpleasant. Obviously, if sandbox It may smell unpleasant, but if proper hygiene is observed, it is quite tolerable. It is true that there are cat litters with particles that absorb odor. But if it is ordinary sand, the difference is still noticeable. What is it about?

This may seem like a trivial question that we ask only out of curiosity, but it has even attracted the attention of scientists. In fact, a group of Japanese researchers have focused their research for years on trying to understand the strange smell of cat urine.

In the first study published on this topic, they pointed to protein as the culprit: kauxin. However, this protein is always found in the urine. Why does it smell worse when sprayed on a wall than when placed in a sandbox or on the floor? They initially thought it might be because the spraying would also release some substance found in his anal sac. This could have been an option, but it turns out it wasn’t. Now they finally have an answer. And before anyone asks what’s the point of spending money on this study, yes, it has a use.

Cauxin: A protein that gives cat urine its odor.

almost 20 years that Japanese scientist Masao Miyazaki discovered the presence of kauxin in cat urine. Since then, many scientists have analyzed its possible functions.

It is known that uncastrated cats have much more of it than castrated cats, but in turn, sterilized cats contain more cauxin than castrated cats. females and cubs. On the other hand, there are studies that show that although cauxin is found in the urine of many cats, its levels are significantly higher in domestic cats.

On the other hand, it appears that kauxin serves pheromone precursor. All this has led to the belief that this protein helps cats mark territory, which is why its smell is so unpleasant. But we are in the same situation. Why does it seem to disappear when you put it in the sandbox?

The important role of the surface

The authors of the new study, including Miyazaki, took samples of cat urine placed in a sandbox or sprayed on a wall, and upon analysis confirmed that the composition was pretty much the same. There was no trace left of the anal sac.

But they saw something that caught their attention: the urine actually stuck to walls of plastic syringes. This occurs when the surface tension of a liquid decreases significantly. In turn, this surface tension is significantly reduced at high protein concentrations. Therefore, they thought that high concentrations of kauxins could be the cause of this phenomenon.

To test this, they conducted three different experiments. In the first, they prepared two solutions: one of water with kauxin and another from water with blood protein, called albumen.

It was observed that even at the same concentration, kauxin placed in a glass container stuck to the walls much more strongly.

For the second experiment, two samples of cat urine were used, but cauxin was removed from one of them. Thus, they found that those who do not have proteins stick to the walls less.

Finally, they used two urine samples from the same cat with the same levels of couxin. The first one was sprayed on Brick wall and the second one was thrown to the floor artificial garden. The characteristic smell of cat urine was much more noticeable in the one that was sprayed onto the wall.

What is all this for?

Study Finding: Cats Spray Urine on smooth surfaces when they want to mark territory. On the other hand, if they just want to evacuate, they don’t care whether it happens in porous soil, which absorbs cauxin, leaving less room for odor. In addition, the water quickly evaporates from the walls, leaving only proteins on the walls, so the smell becomes much more noticeable.

All of this helps to better understand how cats interact. When and where to mark territory This is another piece of the much needed puzzle to understand and protect them. Plus, it answers the question we’ve all asked ourselves at some point: How can your urine smell so bad?