Cats tend to do strange things and one of those things is sticking their tongues out. As a cat owner, you may have witnessed this strange behavior yourself firsthand and wondered what could be the cause. There are many reasons why does my cat stick his tongue out, including: dental issues, “blepping,” fur sticking to it, stomach upset or it is just really relaxed.
Cats tend to do all sorts of strange things, which are both cute and puzzling at the same time. One such thing is sticking their tongues out without an obvious reason.
Cats sticking out their tongues randomly
Your cat stops in the middle of what she’s doing and stares into space. Her tongue sticks out and maybe she has a grimace on her face. This usually lasts just a few seconds and doesn’t seem to faze the cat at all. Then, when it’s all over, she forgets to pull the tongue right back in and you get that cute blep.
There is actually a good scientific explanation for this goofy behavior and it’s called the Flehmen response. It’s part of social behaviour in many animals and is used to pick up chemical signals. The Flehmen response happens when your kitty is curious about something – she’s busy analysing some interesting scent she’s picked up. The scent is collected in the mouth and the tongue flicks it up into a special organ called the vomeronasal organ.
This action is used in nature mostly for picking up on pheromones (sex hormones) of other cats. But cats will also use it for other interesting smells – like your dirty clothes Scientists believe these chemical cues even play a part in helping cats to feel secure in their environment.
Cat is trying to please you
You might even unknowingly reinforce your cat’s sticking their tongue out. If you laugh at your cat, give them attention, or give them a treat when they do this behavior, they may quickly learn that sticking their tongue out gets a positive response and see CatsBuz for more. You might start to see your cat do this repeatedly, mainly to get a positive reaction from you. Whether that’s good or not is up to you.
Something Is Stuck to Her Tongue
As a cat mom, I seem to always have cat hair stuck to my tongue. Now imagine you have tiny hook-like structures all over your tongue—and that you have fur and lick yourself clean.
These tiny hook-like structures are called papillae, and they’re the reason kitty kisses feel like sandpaper. The papillae clasp onto food, loose hair, and help cats lap up water. So, it’s no surprise that stuff can get stuck to cat tongues, and if your cat’s tongue is sticking out, she might just be hoping that whatever is stuck to it will come off.
