Most of what you read, hear or see about cat health and behavior — online, in books, in popular media — appears to be written to sell, not to inform. Accurate, independent information is hard to find. The scientific literature on cats is thin, and what exists is often compromised by underfunding or commercial influence. We take none of what we read at face value.

Our research topics emerge from living with cats — questions that arise from what we observe, what concerns us, and what the literature fails to answer adequately. Our volunteer scientists bring expertise across molecular biology, virology, parasitology, immunology, pharmacology, and nutrition. When a question falls outside our collective expertise, we collaborate with colleagues who can fill the gap.

Our first study examined a nutritional supplement recommended to us by a veterinarian to treat eye disease in cats. We then spent several years studying the response of cats to cat-attracting plants after none of our cats initially had an interest in catnip (Nepeta cataria) — work that is still ongoing. More recently, we turned our attention to feline pheromones. Here, we decided to research the research itself: we conducted a systematic review to evaluate the effectiveness of synthetic feline pheromone products and wrote a critical review about how feline pheromones were identified, what they are composed of, and how they are thought to work. Both manuscripts are currently under review and expected to be published shortly.