😻Cats have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, and the area in their brain (olfactory bulb) used to process smell is large. They also have a large olfactory membrane in their nose compared to that of humans, but did you know that cats also have a special organ for processing pheromones from other cats? 🤔
😺Pheromones are a type of semiochemical used by some animals to give information about themselves to other animals of the same species.
😺Cats use a special organ called the vomeronasal or Jacobson’s organ for this, and they have tiny openings i.e. nasopalatine ducts, which transfer pheromones to the VMO organ.
😺 These ducts situated in the roof of a cat’s mouth, just behind the incisor teeth.
😺 The ducts lead to the two fluid filled sacs in the cat’s hard palate, which is full of chemical receptors that process the pheromones.
😺The VMO organ connects to a cat's mouth and nose.
😺For a cat to process pheromones from other cats, it performs something called the ‘Flehmen response’ which looks like a kind or strange grimace, but there is no pain here, just the processing of information!
😺Cats will also move their tongue or may also move their tongue at the same time to direct pheromones towards the VMO organ, and this process can last for several seconds and may be repeated several times after the cat sniffs an area of interest.
😺This works well for cats, as it means they can gather important social information from other cats, without actually encountering them, thus preventing conflict.
😺Pheromones are excreted from various areas in cats, which are released through the cat’s skin, urine, and faeces. This will be covered in more detail in the next post!
Bibliography and recommended further reading:
Atkinson, T. (2018). The senses. In T. Atkins, Practical feline behaviour: understanding cat behaviour and improving welfare (p. 17). CABI.
Brown, S. (2020). Smell. In S. Brown, The cat: a natural history (pp. 60-61). Ivy Press.
Here is a photo from last week of Jade and Antonio!
Jade started on a new medication and diet to help with her itchiness. At her 2 week check she lost 1.7kg! Congratulations! Her mummy was very pleased. The skin is so much better too.
We look forward to hearing of her progress! 🐶❤️
#vetsonthemeowve #vets #mobilevets #tyneandwear #Beagle #pets #welovepets
Well today we say farewell to our fantastic vet, Antonio! 😭
We have loved every moment working with you, so super chilled and so kind and gentle with our furry friends!
We hope to see you back in Newcastle in the future but we wish you all the luck in your new job in Manchester! Exciting new chapter.
We love you Antonio!! ❤️🚑🐶🐱🐰🐹🐾
Timeline PhotosYou may have seen in the news that a cat in the UK has tested positive for Covid-19. Some news reports have been alarmist and written to grab the headlines. Although several animal species have been infected with Covid-19, including a very small number of cats, these infections are not a driver of the pandemic; the pandemic is driven by person to person contact. In this latest case, as with most of the others, the owner tested positive and transmission was from the owner to their cat and not the other way around. For our updated Covid-19 advice for cat owners see icatcare.org/covid-19-advice-for-cat-owners/
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First visit today and they are amazing! This is the first time the 3 cats have been calm during vet treatment. So happy to have found this service. 
Jill Tulasiewicz
March 12, 2020 Honey had 5 teeth out bless her, but having it done at home was so less stressful for her (and me). Thank you for a great service xx 
Louise Stewart
March 10, 2020 Fantastic service all in the comfort of your home which is so much less stress on the animals . Couldn’t be happier with this service and would recommend to all 
Debbii Anne
February 12, 2020 - Loved meeting Christine and Karen today!! They were absolutely brilliant with Ninja and Bandit, they are so friendly!! Everything went smoothly, everything was explained clearly, all from the comfort of your home! The mobile vet experience is totally the best experience! Especially when you have anxiety and depression and don't drive. No more worrying about lifts, taxis and stressed out cats. One very happy furmammy here xxxxx
Julie Wilson
February 3, 2020 Would recommend 100% lovely team where absolutely brilliant with both my dogs especially at the end and also provided after care for our family xx 
Ann-Marie Soppitt
January 31, 2020 Yesterday we had Titos teeth cleaned by the amazing team at vets on the meowve firstly let me just say how incredible this service is purely for the convenience of having a vet come to your home it’s incredible. Christine the vet nurse and Pepe the vet were both wonderful with my dogs and very professional. First they examined my boy Tito, asked a few questions and some history on his health and administered the anaesthesia right here in my home so I could be with him and after less than 3 minutes he was out of it and so they got to work on his teeth. He’s only 4 so I wasn’t expecting him to need many if any extractions at all even though they did explain the possibility of him needing it, after just over an hour the nurse came back in the house and told me that everything went well and explained exactly what happened and what they had done. He did need 9 teeth extracted so it just goes to show you can’t tell just by looking at your dogs teeth the true condition that they’re in, the cost was very reasonable and the fact I could have all this done at my convenience in my own home made it worth every penny and his teeth are so white and I no longer have to hold my breath for dog kisses 😊 . As a breeder I’m very fortunate to have found vets on the meowve because now I can have all of our puppies vaccinated and microchipped right here without putting them at the risk of exposing them to sick dogs at a vet practice. Thank you so so much to Neyo and Christine I truly do look forward o working with you again in the near future and I will be recommending you to everyone I know with pets thanks again. 😘 
Kayz Doore
January 24, 2020 - Finding Christine has literally been a life changing event for us. Although Megan was still a scardy cat during the visit, having no stress to leave the house has been such a relief! Can't recommend enough!!
Tamsin Robson
January 23, 2020 Had a visit from Christine and team. wow what a lovely team, very professional and super caring. Made what would have been a stressful time for myself and my dogs a very relaxed and stress free visit. perfect. Thank you so much. 
Rachel Oliver
December 13, 2019 fantastic service warm and friendly can not recommend enough 
Neil Moffitt
December 11, 2019 - Saturday I had my beautiful handsome little man Arthur PTS ...
Massive thank you to Christine and vet ( sorry forget vets name ) who attended to Arthur with the utmost dignity & kindness.
thank you both so very much.
Shaun Thomas McLaughlin
December 10, 2019 My lovely cat, Lily, was sadly put to sleep after a long illness on Monday. Karen and Christine from Vets on the Meowve made an incredibly sad time both dignified and as peaceful as possible. I am so grateful that this service is available so that Lily was in her own home at the end of her life, surrounded by love and care. Highly professional with huge hearts....Thank you so much ❤❤ 
Anne Beattie
November 20, 2019 Highly recommended
Friendly staff and great with our puppys 
Allison Jones
November 12, 2019
