Anecdote | Science
Pheromones For Felines
How pheromones helped my anxious cat (and me) survive the pandemic
My cat has always been an anxious wallflower. Ever since she was born in my garage thirteen years ago, she’s been scared of brooms, vacuums, and wouldn’t come near me if I was wearing mittens or slippers. She would show and accept affection, but only socialized on her own terms. In short: I’d accepted that she would never be this lovey-dovey cat that would befriend any stranger that walked in the door.
This was the status quo for the past twelve years. Then the pandemic hit. I set up an office in the dining room, readying myself for whatever was coming.
But I was not expecting that to be the smell of my cat’s pee. I came in one morning to discover urine all over my office supplies.
This wasn’t normal behavior for her, and certainly isn’t normal behavior for any cat.
So I headed to the vet who confirmed her abnormal peeing was not the result of a urinary tract infection.
This was both good and bad news — good news because my cat wasn’t in pain from a harmful infection, but bad news because I still didn’t know what was causing her irregular behavior.
