Bacteria isolated from bengal cat (Felis catus × Prionailurus bengalensis) anal sac secretions produce volatile compounds associated with animal signaling

Anal sacs are an important odor producing organ found across the mammalian Order Carnivora. Secretions from the anal sac may be used as chemical signals by animals for behaviors ranging from defense to species recognition to signaling reproductive status. In addition, a recent study suggests that domestic cats utilize short-chain free fatty acids in anal sac secretions for individual recognition. The fermentation hypothesis is the idea that symbiotic microorganisms living in association with animals contribute to odor profiles used in chemical communication and that variation in these chemical signals reflects variation in the microbial community. Here we examine the fermentation hypothesis by characterizing volatile organic compounds (VOC) and bacterial isolated from anal sac secretions collected from a male bengal cat (Felis catus × Prionailurus bengalensis).

Both left and right anal sacs of a male bengal cat were manually expressed and collected. Half of the material was used in ...