2022 Volume 53 Issue 6 Pages 336-344
Domestic cats and other Felidae species show the characteristic response to silver vine plants (matatabi in Japanese). This response comprises licking and chewing the leaves, rubbing their faces and heads against the leaves, and rolling over on the leaves. The behavioral significance of the feline response has remained undetermined for over 300 years. Our recent studies demonstrated that the response is beneficial to chemical defense against pest mosquitoes. Here, we review our recent studies uncovering the potent bioactive compound for the response, the underlying mechanism of the response, and the behavioral functions of both “rubbing and rolling” and “licking and chewing”.