Why does my cat lie on my clothes

The cat has many ways of telling us how much he cares about us and one of them is by standing on our clothes to take a nap. He cares little that we need precisely that jacket, he lies on it and if we try to remove it ... most likely he will behave like the spoiled furry that he is 🙂.

But have you ever wondered why my cat lies down on my clothes? It has its bed, the sofa, and many other corners to take a nap. Why do you choose your human's clothes?

The smell of the feline, much more than a sense

The answer to that question has a lot to do with the feline's sense of smell. It is much more developed than ours - specifically, it perceives different smells 14 times better - to such an extent that it is not difficult for it to perceive the body odor that all animals give off. From the first day you come home, he gets used to our smell, and when he finally feels safe with us, he associates that smell with security and trust.

Thus, when we change our clothes, the furry takes advantage of the slightest opportunity to perch on it. What's more, If we have to leave it for only a few days, it is very important that we leave it with pieces of clothing that we have used so that it can feel a little more calm until we get back.

Jacobson's organ, the cat's "second nose"

It is likely that you have ever seen your cat make a somewhat strange face with its mouth, opening it slightly, just smelling something new (for example, your hand after stroking another cat). This is so because right in your mouth, behind your incisor teeth, you have what is known as the Jacobson's organ or vomeronasal organ, which they are two fluid-filled sacs connected to the nasal cavity.

Many animals have them, such as snakes, and it is very useful to them because thanks to it can better smell and identify different aromas. As predators, it is essential to have an almost perfect sense of smell, and of course felines in general and the cats with whom we share several years of our lives in particular have had a very interesting evolution.

Pheromones, "smells" that become messages

Cats, like other animals, produce pheromones, which are chemical substances that they secrete in some parts of their body and that, once released, influence the behavior of other furry ones. In the case of our protagonists, they are classified into several types:

• Affection pheromones: are those that help them to be more calm and relaxed. They are released from the face, which is why they often rub the face against loved ones.
• Territory / marking pheromones: they are those that allow them to identify the territory of a cat. They are excreted in the urine, but also by their legs when they scratch, for example, the trunks of trees.
• Stress pheromones: they are the ones that secrete when they feel stressed or tense, such as when they go to the vet for example.
• Sex pheromones: they are excreted in the urine above all. They are associated with zeal. When a cat is castrated, that is, when its reproductive glands are removed, the animal stops secreting these pheromones since it is left without the glands that produce them.

Regardless of the type of pheromone that it secretes at that moment, any other animal that was born with the Jacobson Organ will be able to perceive it. You have more information about feline marking at this link:

Related article:

All about feline marking

If you are curious, and at least for the moment, humans cannot perceive these "smells", at least not consciously (we do have a vomeronasal organ, but it is atrophied and it is possible that with the course of evolution it will disappear , or surprise the scientists of the time and become useful.

Why does my cat get violent or aggressive when I return from the vet with my other feline?

This is a typical reaction. You live with two cats (or more), you take one to the vet and when you return the others become a little aggressive or, in the worst case, very violent with him. Why? Because of what we said before about pheromones. During the visit to the professional the cat will have felt very stressed and tense, and his body will not only have released those stress pheromones, but also the pheromones of other animals will have 'attached' to the fur that they have been there, without counting on the smell of veterinary clinics or hospitals (medicines and others).

When I get home the body odor of that cat is different; It is not their own, but it is a mixture of smells that the other cats that are in the house are unknown to them. Yes, yes, you could say that the cat that has been in the clinic is a complete stranger to those at home. And when two cats that do not know each other (in principle) get together in a closed place, what happens? Well, several things can happen:

• One, that after smelling each other they become friends.
• Two, that after smelling each other they get angry and fight.
• Or three, that each one go their own way.

If one or three occurs there would be no problem, but since two is so bad, what I highly recommend doing is leaving the cat that has been at the vet in a room until the next day. In this way, you can get rid of all the stress, all that uncomfortable smell, and you can get back together with your cat companions without problems.

And if you couldn't stop them from fighting, introduce them again, as if they did not know each other at all, taking one to a bedroom, leaving it there for about three days and exchanging beds. Of course, important, try to give the same amount of love to everyone so that they feel good.

The cat it is a charming animal and much more sociable than it seems. You don't like changes, but you love that your caregiver gives you the attention and love you deserve. They have told us ad nauseam that he is very independent, but those of us who live with him know what he enjoys with the company of his family.

Living with one of them is an incredible experience, from which we can learn a lot about ourselves and about life. What less than to respect him and let him be happy.