Can a water-based mist form of the F3 facial pheromone have a short-term effect on cats’ adaptation to a new situation?

ObjectivesThe arrival of an unknown human in the life of a cat can be seen as a challenging situation. Helping cats cope with such situations may help during adoption processes or when introducing a pet sitter. This study aimed to investigate the impact of a water-based mist formulation of an F3 analogue on the behaviour of cats exposed to the presence of an unfamiliar human.MethodsTwo parallel and homogeneous groups of 11 cats were included in this study. Each cat was brought individually to an unknown room previously sprayed with the F3 pheromone analogue mist or a placebo. After 40 mins, an unfamiliar human entered the room and the cat's behaviour was observed. Locomotion, rubbing, feeding and behaviours directed towards the human were analysed.ResultsF3-treated cats exhibited significantly more rubbing than those in the control group (generalised linear mixed model [GsLMM], χ² = 14.056, degrees of freedom [DF] = 1; <i>P</i> <0.001). They also sat (GsLMM, χ² = 6.058, DF = 1; <i>P</i> <0.05) and moved (GsLMM, χ² = 6.163, DF = 1; <i>P</i> <0.05) more frequently than the control cats. No statistically significant effects were detected for human-directed behaviours, although cats in the F3-treated room tended to be quicker to approach (frailty model, χ² = 3.54, DF = 1; <i>P</i> = 0.06) and initiate contact with the unknown human (frailty model, χ² = 3.454, DF = 1; <i>P</i> = 0.063). An exploratory principal component analysis suggested that F3-treated cats were more homogeneous in their behaviour than control cats and that these F3 cats could display a more confident behavioural profile, as assessed by their exploratory behaviour.Conclusions and relevanceThese results highlight the interest in using an F3 analogue treatment in a mist form to help cats cope with situations involving the first encounter with a new human. This was achieved by improving the approach with a new context, exploration and human interactions.