Cats’ tongues are often described as rough as sandpaper, but we can assure you that the shape of your favourite tongue is more interesting than anything you will find on the hardware store shelf. Therefore, to see what is going on needs to be carefully monitored, and we doubt your cat would like such an intervention. Lucky for us, some early researchers have already done the hard work of not only showing the structure of the language, but also speculating about possible goals after its creation.
How does the cat’s tongue act?
The tongues of the cats seem to be dark with eyes. But instead of hair, their tongues are covered with tiny, hollow backs called papillae, this sharp pillage, shaped like a scoop and are composed of hard keratin, the hard protein found in human hair with nails and animal claws Horns and hoofs.
3 reasons why cats’ languages are rough as sandpaper
Considering that your cat’s tongue is covered in hundreds of mineral spines, it is not surprising that it feels like sandpaper when pulled on your skin. And while we can only imagine the purpose behind this complex formation, there are a number of well-founded theories:
- Helps cats surround themselves
According to a 2018 study from Alexi’s noel and peter Hu, papillae on the Cat Tongue have two loose circles that help in cleansing. The area around the mouth is for rubbing saliva from the mouth and inserting it into the cat’s hair, and the flexible base makes it easy to remove the hair that has been caught on the tongue. In other words, your cat’s tongue is like a built-in, solid comb.
Cleanliness has many purposes, and that is why cats spend about a quarter of their waking hours doing their job. Noel and Hu note that regular hygiene helps to remove fleas, debris, and loose hair, which can prevent the formation of painful mites and patches that can lead to infection.
- Helps cats cool
The cat’s ability to absorb saliva from the inside of a cat’s coat not only helps to bathe — a clever trick to control the temperature, or to help the cat maintain its body temperature. Because locusts have only sweat guts on their legs, noel and Hu say that grooming has always been thought of as a way to cool cats down. They found that papillae-moving saliva placed near the skin of a cat can provide up to 25 per cent of the cooling it needs for thermoregulation.
- Helps cats eat meat
Cats are bound to carnivores, meaning they rely on animal proteins for the food they need to survive. Considering the importance of meat in their diet, it is not surprising that noel and Hu found that cat-like papillae help in handling and breaking down meat. This revelation can make you think twice about letting your cat lick your hand, but as long as your numbers are not made of raw meat, you should come out unscathed!
Good truth about your cat’s tongue
For cat owners, there is little fun as being adjusted with your kit. It means you have gained trust in him, that you have been received into his pride. However, at some point in the body, it also feels like your cat is scratching, thin sandpaper on your skin — not so much fun as the emotional payoff.
Tongues of cats are an interesting part of their character. They have many purposes, not only to serve as a way to taste food, but also to help cats in eating, drinking, and grooming. And, when cat owners take a closer look at their cat’s tongues, they immediately see what makes this muscular organ useful.
Papillae
The tongues of cats are covered with tiny bumps, called papillae. Although these beads vary in length — and those in the middle of the tongue are longer than those at the edges — they are all covered with a very strong keratin sheath, explains dr. Mark freeman, assistant professor of community practice at Virginia- Maryland college of veterinary medicine in Blacksburg, Virginia. The keratin is flexible, but also very strong, giving these bubbles a lot of energy.
Looking at the papilla on the cat’s tongue, the sword is cut on both sides. Cats’ tongues are prepared for hunting, explains freeman. When touching an animal, the papilla even helps to get rid of the bone from the cat’s flesh, removing the amount of food from the handle and directly behind the mouth. But these babies can also catch things that cats can’t eat. “When a cat plays with something like string or rubber and puts it in its mouth, this papilla shows the back of the throat.
To drink
Cats also use the tongue for drinking. While it may seem that cats are pouring water into their mouths like dogs, the reality is cool. “Cats never put their mouths in the water,” freeman says. Instead, they dip their tongue into the water and pick it up immediately. The papillae on their tongues draw water from the surface, forming a pillar in which the cat then closes its mouth to the sides. He will do this three or four times until he has enough water in his mouth and then swallows it. ”
Taste
While people may not remove the flesh from the bones or adorn it with their tongues, cats and all humans use their tongue to taste. There has been controversy over how cats can taste five of the most delicious things humans can do (sweet, salty, bitter, bitter, and masculine), but angler and freeman agree that cats have their own needs, as humans. Anecdotally, you hear all kinds of cat stories that interest different types of food and different flavours. But, sadly, there are not many legal studies on this subject.
