This post contains affiliate links.
Have you ever had the privilege of looking at a cats tongue? If you have, you would have noticed that there are not smooth. This article explores why do cats have rough tongues and how they got them.
Table of Contents
Why Do Cats Have Rough Tongues?
There are several reasons that cats have rough tongues. The main reasons are; grooming, eating, and drinking.
Grooming -Cats have rough tongues to groom themselves. They use their tongue as a way of removing dirt and debris from the fur on their body, which is why they lick so much! The saliva that comes out when cats are grooming has an acidic property called lysozyme- this helps break down bacteria cells found within hair follicles.
Eating: The cat’s rough tongues are crucial to them when they are eating. Cats have a rough tongue because it helps them break down the food in their mouth and swallow easier, which means less time spent chewing! As cats are carnivores having a rough tongue allows them to remove the meat from the bone.
Drinking: Cats have rough tongues to help them drink. The cat’s tongue is covered with small bumps called papillae which helps the water stick onto it and be pulled into their mouth, and this also makes sure that they are not swallowing any of those pesky bugs!
What Makes A Cats Tongue Rough?
The rough texture of a cats tongue is because it is covered in tiny backwards-pointing papillae. These are small, hair-like structures that help remove dirt and debris from cats fur while grooming themselves or other animals with their tongue.
The Parrot’s Beak is the most prominent papillae on a cats tongue. It has two sides, one side being rough and coarse while another more gentle to help remove dirt from fur or feathers of animals that they groom themselves with their tongues.
How Have Cats Tongues Evolved?
As cats have evolved, their tongues have also developed into being more extended and flat, which allows them to be better on top of flat surfaces like counters and tables.
Sometimes cats will push their tongues down the length of what they’re eating, as it is believed that this licking may help them “chew” the food by increasing the surface area between their teeth and their tongue.
While there was some debate about whether cats could taste sweet foods with their tongues or only with their mouths, modern studies have shown that cats can indeed enjoy sweet tastes. It is also thought that cats do not like the taste of acidic food, though they will still lap it up if it means that they can get more water from a fountain or a bowl of juice.
Do Big Cats Such As Lions Have Rough Tongues?
Big cats such as Lions and Tigers also have rough tongues. They use their tongues for the same reasons as smaller domestic cats.
A lion’s tongue is rough because it has many papillae on the surface, which helps them clean off the dirt from fur or feathers that may have gotten stuck in between hairs while grooming with its teeth.
Lions are also known for having very tough skin, which means more protection from dirt when grooming. The same goes true if you wondered about tigers too: this animal has been seen licking itself clean after hunting prey just by using saliva alone without any water.
Can A Cats Tongue Cut You?
Contrary to popular belief, a cat’s tongue is not razor-sharp and cannot cut you. Sometimes the papillae can be seen when you are petting your cat, as they kind of look like tiny little pimples. A common misconception about the sharpness of cats’ tongues is that they can slice the skin or that cats will lick open cuts on themselves to clean them.
What Cat Has The Largest Tongue?
The Tiger has the largest tongue of any cat in the world.
The Tiger’s rough, spade-like papillae are designed to help it rip meat from bones. A long sticky vernacular allows them access deep into cracks or crevices where prey might hide without damaging their teeth which would be necessary for other animals with less powerful jaws.
Cat’s Tongue Facts:
There are many myths about cats’ tongues, so we’ve debunked some of them here!
Do Cats Need Their Tongues To Kill Prey?
Cats do not need their tongues to catch mice or kill prey. They use their teeth and claws to catch prey and have their tongues on standby to help them eat.
Cats Tongues Are Serrated
A cat’s tongue is crudely serrated, as one would expect for a carnivore’s tongue, and seemingly roughened with the same pattern of small goblet and comb-like papillae present in other parts of the animal’s oral cavity – as is typical of most carnivores’ mouths.
How Much Do Cats Tongues Weigh?
A cats tongue weighs around 0.07 ounces, which is about two per cent of its total body weight and accounts for about one-third of its total muscle mass. While other animals in the world have tongues that are longer than cats, this does not mean that cats eat more than other animals because the muscles in their mouths and jaws account for most of the active meat-chewing process as opposed to their tongues.
What Cat Has The Largest Tongue?
The Tiger has the largest tongue of any cat in the world.
The Tiger’s rough, spade-like papillae are designed to help it rip meat from bones. A long sticky vernacular allows them access deep into cracks or crevices where prey might hide – all without damaging their teeth which would be necessary for other animals with less powerful jaws.
