Prenatal and Early Sucking Influences on Dietary Preference in Newborn, Weaning, and Young Adult Cats

Abstract

Early experiences are of potential importance in shaping long-term behavior. This study examined the relative influence of prenatal and/or early postnatal experience of chemosensory stimuli on subsequent olfactory and dietary preferences of cats as newborns, at 9-10 weeks, and at 6 months. Cats were exposed to vanillin or 4-ethylguaiacol via their mother's diet either prenatally, postnatally, perinatally (prenatal and postnatal), or experienced no exposure to the stimuli (control). Newborns were given a two-choice olfactory test between the familiar "odor" and no odor; 9-10 week olds were tested for their preference between two food treats, one flavored with the familiar stimulus and the other unflavored; at 6 months, cats were given a choice of two bowls of food, one flavored with the familiar stimulus and the other unflavored. At all ages, cats preferred the familiar, and avoided the unfamiliar, stimulus. Perinatal exposure exerted the strongest influence on preference. Prenatal exposure influenced preference at all ages and postnatal exposure exerted a stronger effect as the cat aged. We conclude that long-term chemosensory and dietary preferences of cats are influenced by prenatal and early (nursing) postnatal experience, supporting a natural and biologically relevant mechanism for the safe transmission of diet from mother to young.

Facilitating ‘learning from mom how to eat like a pig’ to improve welfare of piglets around weaning

“…Flavour cues from the maternal diet can reach the foetus through the amniotic fluid and/or the placental blood stream (Schaal et al, 1995). This early exposure to flavour cues generally results in a preference for these flavours later in life and consequently can positively affect the acceptance of foods with a similar flavour before and after weaning, as previously has been shown in many species, including humans, rats, dogs, sheep, cats and even in non-mammals such as chickens and frogs (Hepper, 1988(Hepper, , 1992Sneddon et al, 1998;Schaal et al, 2000;Mennella et al, 2001;Wells and Hepper, 2006;Simitzis et al, 2008;Hepper et al, 2012). The flavour preference can be strengthened even more when the flavour is also present in the maternal milk (Galef and Henderson, 1972;Galef and Sherry, 1973;Mennella, 1995), whereby the continuity of flavour exposure is a likely factor for success (Mennella, 2014), as exposure through milk alone increases flavour preference in some, but not all species .…”

The Positive Impact of the Early-Feeding of a Plant-Based Diet on Its Future Acceptance and Utilisation in Rainbow Trout

“…The ability to retain nutrient flavors transmitted by the mother's diet (amniotic fluid, milk) has been interpreted as a natural mechanism for the safe transmission of predictive dietary signatures from mother to young [40], [41]. In fish, knowledge on the effect of early flavor experience on later food flavor acceptance is scarce.…”

Exposure to ethanol on prenatal days 19–20 increases ethanol intake and palatability in the infant rat: Involvement of kappa and mu opioid receptors

“…When testing older babies (6 months), a preference for carrot‐flavored food was reported if mothers had consumed daily amounts of carrot juice during the last 3 weeks of pregnancy (Mennella, Jagnow, & Beauchamp, ). Similarly, preferences for chemical stimuli included in the maternal diet during gestation have been reported in other species of mammals, such as rabbits (Bilko, Altbacker, & Hudson, ), sheep (Schaal, Orgeur, & Arnould, ), cats (Becques, Larose, Gouat, & Serra, ; Hepper et al, ), and dogs (Wells & Hepper, ; for a review see Robinson & Méndez‐Gallardo, ). However, in only a few of those studies was exposure restricted to the prenatal period, and most of them included continuity of the sensory experience during birth by maintaining the administration of the stimulus until the onset of parturition, or even explicitly re‐exposing the neonates or the mothers to the tastant after birth, during lactation.…”