The characteristic response of domestic cats to plant iridoids allows them to gain chemical defense against mosquitoes
Reiko Uenoyama, Tamako Miyazaki, Jane L. Hurst, Robert J. Beynon, Masaatsu Adachi, Takanobu Murooka, Ibuki Onoda, Yu Miyazawa, Rieko Katayama, Tetsuro Yamashita, Shuji Kaneko, Toshio Nishikawa, Masao Miyazaki
Abstract
Thus, self-anointing behavior helps to protect cats against mosquito bites. The characteristic response of cats to nepetalactol via the μ-opioid system provides an important example of chemical pest defense using plant metabolites in nonhuman mammals.
Topics & Concepts
CATSBiologyPharmacologyMedicineInternal medicineInsect Pest Control StrategiesPlant Parasitism and ResistanceInsect and Pesticide Research