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CLICK ON THE BOOK
TO SEE SNOWBALL
INSIDE! |
We were
thrilled when we were contacted by
Professor Kumar of
Tufts University, Cummings School of
Veterinary Medicine, Medfore, MA with
a request for the above photo of our cat
"Snowball" aka "Angel"(Flehman
Reaction) to be included in the
veterinary textbook he was in
the process of writing. His book
was published on September 2012. "Snowball" aka
"Angel" can be found on Page 516. This book
is available for purchase at
Linus Publications.
Clinically Oriented
Anatomy of the Dog & Cat by M.S.A. Kumar
This is the first clinically oriented
textbook in the field of Veterinary Anatomy.
This textbook emphasizes the importance of
anatomy for clinical applications and
includes in-depth description of basic
anatomy of the dog, and where applicable,
significant anatomical differences in the
cat are noted and illustrated.
Click here to
see the Book Flyer.
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Why Do
Cats Pant? ... The Flehman Reaction -
Vomeronasal Organ - Jacobsen's Organ
Cats do
not normally pant as much as dogs do unless
they are extremely overheated, stressed, or
in labour. When they are panting heavily, it
means they are overheated and should be
calmed down and placed in a cool place.
Most of the time what cat owners may
perceive as panting is really another type
of behavior called the Flehman Reaction.
When a cat smells something it is interested
in or something extremely pungent, it may
curl back its lips and open its mouth to
further investigate the scent. What your cat
is doing is tasting the smell it has
detected. This is completely natural
behavior and no cause for alarm. All cats do
this; even the big (lions and tigers) cats
do it. It's a reaction to certain smells
that causes an autonomic breathing response.
Cats have a keen sense of smell, but it's
not all in their noses.
Most of
the time what cat owners may perceive as
panting is really another type of behavior
called the Flehman Reaction. When a cat
smells something it is interested in or
something extremely pungent, it may curl
back its lips and open its mouth to further
investigate the scent. What your cat is
doing is tasting the smell it has detected.
This is completely natural behavior and no
cause for alarm. All cats do this; even the
big (lions and tigers) cats do it. It's a
reaction to certain smells that causes an
autonomic breathing response. Cats have a
keen sense of smell, but it's not all in
their noses.
When your
cat smells something and then opens his
mouth slightly, wrinkles his nose, and curls
back his upper lip, your cat is exhibiting
what is called the 'flehmen reaction' or 'flehming.'
He is drawing in air, capturing the scent,
and transferring it to a small specialized
sac called the 'vomeronasal organ' or
'Jacobson's organ.' This organ is located
high up in the roof of the mouth, and has a
large blood supply. It traps the odor
molecules and sends signals to the brain
regarding the scent allowing for a keener
sense of smell. Flehming can occur with a
number of scents, but most frequently occurs
when the cat smells urine. Many male cats
will exhibit this behavior when they smell
the genitals or urine of a female cat in
heat.b Jacobsen's Organ is used not simply
for scent detection, but also for subtle
communication between other members of the
same species, through the emission and
reception of chemical signals called
pheromones.
The
vomeronasal (or Jacobsens' Organ) is used to
distinquish scents a cat, ( even the big
lions, etc.) finds interesting but not
necessarily unpleasant. The best way nature
allows molecules to be translated into
smells is when the feline opens its' mouth
to further inhale deeply & rapidly at first,
with a pause sometimes while the organ &
brain sort information. Could be another
cat, dog, human or an intruder on its'
territory.
The
vomeronasal organ (VNO), or Jacobson's
organ, is an auxiliary olfactory sense organ
that is found in many animals. It was
discovered by Ludvig Jacobson in 1813.
During
embryological development, it forms from the
nasal (olfactory) placode, at the anterior
edge of the neural plate (cranial nerve
zero). It is a chemoreceptor organ which is
completely separated from the nasal cavity
the majority of the time, being enclosed in
a separate bony or cartilaginous capsule
which opens into the base of the nasal
cavity. It is a tubular crescent shape and
split into two pairs, separated by the nasal
septum. It is the first processing stage of
the accessory olfactory system, after which
chemical stimuli go to the accessory
olfactory bulb, then to targets in the
amygdala and hypothalamus.
The
vomeronasal organ is mainly used to detect
pheromones, chemical messengers that carry
information between individuals of the same
species, hence is sometimes referred to as
the "sixth sense." The VNO has two separate
types of neuronal receptors, V1R and V2R,
which are seven-transmembrane receptors that
are coupled to G proteins. The receptors are
distinct from each other and form the large
family of receptors in the main olfactory
system. Evidence shows that the VNO responds
to nonvolatile cues which stimulate the
receptor neurons. Information is then
transferred to the accessory olfactory bulb
as well as other centres of the brain such
as the anterior part of the hypothalamus.
Its
presence in many animals has been widely
studied and the importance of the
vomeronasal system to the role of
reproduction and social behavior (through
influence on anterior hypothalamus) has been
shown in many studies. Its presence and
functionality in humans is widely
controversial, though most studies agree the
organ regresses during fetal development.
(Source: Wikipedia.org)
Sáncte Míchael Archángele, defénde nos in
proélio, cóntra nequítiam et insídias
diáboli ésto præsídium. Ímperet ílli Déus,
súpplices deprecámur: tuque, prínceps
milítiæ cæléstis, Sátanam aliósque spíritus
malígnos, qui ad perditiónem animárum
pervagántur in múndo, divína virtúte, in
inférnum detrúde. Ámen [Festum: Septembribus
29] +
