Your cat’s tongue plays an important role in many facets of her life, and what you didn’t know may surprise you:
- A kitty’s tongue is coated with little spines or hooks, called papillae, which are angled towards the back of her throat.
- Papillae help her grab and strip food and push it to the back of her throat for swallowing.
- It’s nearly impossible for your cat to spit out things like string or yarn because of the papillae on her tongue.
- Feline tongues are also effective at grooming, stripping dirt and loose hair from her coat.
- Your cat can “taste” the air by using her tongue to sweep scent molecules into an organ in the roof of her mouth.
- Her tongue is also sensitive to the texture and temperature of food, which is why cats often prefer certain types of food and at room temperature.
- Your cat drinks by dipping the tip of her tongue, then pulling up a stream of water and snapping it before it falls back in the bowl. See a recent study on cats at MIT.
- Her drinking happens at high speed… four laps per second, which is too fast for the human eye to see closely.
- Her tongue helps her grab and hold her prey
Although your cat’s tongue does a great job of grooming, that doesn’t mean you should skip grooming her as well! Your brushing will keep her fur and skin healthy and help her avoid matting. Visit Pet Supermarket for a broad selection of cat grooming products.
