Table 3.

Ethogram describing body positions and behaviors seen in domestic cats in response to cat-attracting plants or their volatile compounds

Body position	Description
Standing	The cat is in an upright position with all paws on the ground and the legs extended.
Sitting	The cat is sitting in a crouched position: the body is close to the ground, all legs are bent, and the belly is touching or raised slightly off of the ground; crouched down to get a closer look at the object, not to be mistaken with crouching because of fear.
Lying on side	The cat lies on her or his left or right side.
Lying on back	The cat lies on her or his back.
Behavior	Description
Bitinga	The cat bites the object or has the object in her or his mouth. Sometimes combined with pulling or shaking her or his head.
Head rubbinga	The cat rubs with her or his chin, cheek or forehead against the object.
Head shakinga	The cat shakes her or his head without an object in her or his mouth. Sometimes combined with shaking the rest of the body.
Holdinga	The cat holds an object with one or two paws.
Licking	The cat passes her or his tongue over the object.
Rakinga	The cat makes kicking movements with one or both hind legs against the object. Also known as bunny kicking. Typically seen when the cat holds the object with her or his paws or in her or his mouth.
Rippling of backa	Rippling or rolling motion of the cat’s skin in the dorsal lumbosacral region as the underlying cutaneous trunci / panniculus carnosus muscles rhythmically contract and relax. Not to be confused with feline hyperesthesia syndrome.
Rolling on sidea	The cat rolls on her or his side or back, from a sternal or lateral body position, respectively.
Twitching of backa	Short (fraction of a second), quick contractions of the cutaneous trunci / panniculus carnosus muscles. Distinct (shorter) from rippling of the back, but possibly related.

^a See Additional file 2 for a video with examples of these behaviors