Why do cats stick out their tongues: why do cats show the tip of their tongues

A cat uses its tongue when eating, grooming itself, and maintaining general health.

Unlike the human tongue, the cat's tongue is covered with small barbs called papillae. These are stiff spines that curve back to catch bits of food or hair. These papillae are also coated with keratin, so if you've ever been licked by a cat, you'll feel its rough, dry tongue.

The tongue does not allow the cat to spit anything out: they can swallow. When a cat tries to spit something out, it fails. But sometimes cats stick out their tongues for no reason.

Cats stick out their tongues randomly

Sometimes you may notice your cat freezing in place and staring into space while sticking out her tongue. This usually only lasts a few seconds and does not bother the cat at all. When it's all over, she forgets to retract her tongue. There is a scientific explanation for this and it is called the Flehmen reaction. This is how many animals pick up chemical signals, such as pheromones from other cats.

Physiological reasons

English scientists believe that sticking out the tip of the tongue does not at all indicate relaxation. On the contrary, it is a sign of aggression. Especially if the animal twitches its tail at the same time. Other explanations for why a cat sticks out the tip of its tongue :

In hot weather, this indicates impaired heat exchange.
If at the same time the cat becomes aggressive and starts salivating heavily, this may be a sign of rabies or other dangerous infections.
Researchers in California have discovered why some mature animals have protruding tongues. It simply does not fit completely into the mouth due to certain oral diseases.
Crossing different breeds sometimes results in the birth of mentally retarded kittens. In such animals, the tip of the tongue sticks out constantly and hangs limply.
Persians have an overbite due to their flat muzzle.
The cat sticks out its tongue reflexively at the sound of the tape being torn off.
In British Folds, diseases associated with the structure of the skeleton are detected.
Thai cats, if distracted, are more likely than other cats to forget to put their tongue back. However, this is also a sign of complete trust.

The tip of a cat's tongue contains taste buds. A protruding tongue may indicate an impaired sense of smell. Before giving birth, the animal begins to become very nervous, constantly licks itself, and can sit for a long time with its tongue hanging out. The cause may also be a bone stuck in the mouth. It has been observed that many cats react this way to dogs.

Why do cats stick out their tongues when traveling?

Just like people, cats can get motion sickness. Your pet may stick out its tongue, drool, and pant. Causes of motion sickness in cats can include fear of unfamiliar surroundings, an inner ear imbalance that causes the cat to feel dizzy while driving, or even unpleasant memories of a previous trip.

When a cat's tongue sticks out is a pathology

So, sticking out your tongue, as it turned out, should not always be considered a sign of a dangerous disease. However, in some situations, a tongue sticking out of the mouth is a reason to sound the alarm:

Photo: cat tongue hanging out | pixabay.com

Heart failure.
With such a severe illness, pulmonary edema often develops when the cat breathes from its stomach, sticking out its tongue. Signs of heart failure in cats are loss of appetite, cyanosis of the tongue and gums, distinct wheezing during exhalation, rapid heartbeat, and possible coordination problems caused by partial paralysis of the hind limbs. Heart failure is not the only ailment in which cats often stick out their tongues; the same picture can be observed, for example, with ischemia, angina pectoris, hypertension;
Kidney failure.
It happens that a cat sticks out its tongue and breathes heavily due to poor kidney function. Signs of such a disease are an unpleasant ammonia odor from the mouth, severe thirst and frequent urination, vomiting and diarrhea, yellowing of the mucous membranes, poor condition of the coat and skin, weight loss, blurred vision, severe swelling in the abdominal area;
Inflammation of the oral cavity.
Sometimes a cat breathes with its tongue hanging out, due to stomatitis or gingivitis. This is explained simply: when the tongue is behind the teeth, it touches painful ulcers with stomatitis or inflamed gums with gingivitis. To slightly reduce the discomfort, the cat releases its tongue from its mouth. Symptoms of stomatitis in cats are: bad breath, problems with chewing food, excessive salivation, ulcers on the oral mucosa, and in some situations, fever. With gingivitis, the symptoms are similar, except that there are no ulcers characteristic of stomatitis;
Respiratory diseases of infectious and non-infectious nature.
Sometimes a cat sticks out its tongue and breathes like a dog during rhinitis, ARVI, tracheitis, pneumonia, bronchitis. The main signs of the listed ailments, in addition to the tongue sticking out of the mouth, are breathing problems, coughing, wheezing during inhalation and exhalation, snoring, refusal to eat, nasal discharge, in some cases, fever, apathy. Almost the same symptoms plus stool upset, apathy, discharge of pus from the eyes and nose (painful crusts can form on the nose) occur with infectious diseases - rhinotracheitis, chlamydia, calcivirosis;
Cancers of the oral cavity.
Cancer of the tongue, gums, palate or jaw is one of the most dangerous reasons why cats stick out their tongue. Symptoms of such a terrible disease are a coating on the tongue, bleeding and disgusting breath, a hoarse voice, difficulty chewing and swallowing food, painful ulcers on the tongue, gums, lips, and palate. By the way, a protruding tongue is a sign not only of malignant tumors, but also of polyps, which can be located on the tongue and under the tongue, on the palate, cheeks;
Foreign body in the respiratory organs.
Tongue protrusion is a common occurrence with this problem. Other symptoms of a foreign object in the respiratory tract are sneezing, coughing (sometimes with blood), mucus from the nose and tears from the eyes, difficulty breathing (the animal breathes frequently, noisily, heavily) and chewing food;
Swelling of the larynx caused by allergies.
Sometimes an adult animal or kitten sticks out its tongue if it is allergic to food or medicine, if swelling of the respiratory system occurs. Symptoms of such a problem are an increase in the size of the palate and tonsils, breathing problems (the cat breathes rarely, deeply and slowly, and coughs), decreased pulse, difficulty swallowing food, hoarseness of the voice, anxiety;
Jaw injuries.
There is no appetite, drooling and the tongue sticks out of the mouth in cats when the jaw is dislocated. With a bilateral dislocation, the animal cannot close its mouth at all, with a unilateral dislocation, the mouth is slightly open and the jaw is pushed to the side;
Dysfunction of brain stem structures.
If the functioning of the brain is disrupted, namely those of its parts that are responsible for breathing and a number of other important functions, cats may have the problem of constantly sticking out their tongue against the background of difficulties in inhaling and exhaling;
Poisoning.
When the body is intoxicated, cats often sit with their tongue hanging out. Animals also experience difficulty breathing, severe drooling, vomiting and diarrhea, trembling, convulsions, problems with coordination, dilated pupils, apathy, or increased anxiety.

Well, a cat with its tongue hanging out is a really cute sight, but the owner should not grab a camera or cell phone to capture such a moment, but carefully observe the animal. For example, if a pet sticks its tongue out of its mouth after active games, but soon hides it behind its teeth again, and looks healthy and cheerful, then there is nothing to worry about.

Photo: kitten sticking out tongue | pixabay.com

If the animal’s tongue is constantly sticking out, and any disturbing symptoms are noted (for example, wheezing when breathing or refusal to eat), then you should immediately take the cat to the veterinary clinic. In some situations, correct diagnosis and timely assistance provided by a doctor can save the life of an animal. You should be especially vigilant if we are talking about a baby kitten or an elderly pet, as they suffer any diseases more severe than strong cats in their prime.

Why do cats stick out their tongues on hot days?

On hot days, cats cool their tongues in an attempt to regulate their temperature. This can also happen in a hot car, after a run, or when they are sick and have a fever.

Cats suffering from heatstroke will pant with their tongue hanging out, then begin to drool, become unbalanced and may lose consciousness. It is worth protecting cats from sunstroke, as it is a serious danger and can affect the pet’s organs. Never leave a cat in a car, even if it is not very hot. Make sure your cat is kept in the shade and has drinking water available.

Normal conditions

In what cases is a protruding tongue considered normal? Cats usually do not show this part of their body. It is considered normal if the tip of the kittens’ tongue remains protruding when they, having played enough, fall asleep from fatigue.

Adult animals may simply forget to retract the “natural sponge” back after washing. It happens that a cat sticks out the tip of its tongue and freezes for a while in this position. Then he definitely puts it in his mouth.

The protruding tongue of an animal that is in a relaxed state or in sleep is also normal. At this moment, the organ lengthens somewhat and does not fit completely in the mouth. After active play, the cat may pant frequently for some time. In this case, the tip of the tongue sticks out. This helps saturate the tissues with oxygen.

The cause of the protruding tip of the tongue is heat. Animals do not have sebaceous glands, which is how they protect themselves from overheating. Some pets can tease their owners. If this short-term phenomenon (especially during the game) is not accompanied by other alarming symptoms, then it is normal.

Heat

The main physiological reason why a cat sticks out its tongue is temperature regulation. The animal protrudes the organ to reduce discomfort, for example, during heat. This prevents the development of heat stroke. In this case, the owner should take the cat to a cool place and pour water on it.

But a cat's tongue sticking out can also be a signal of high body temperature. To understand whether your pet is suffering from heat or is sick, you need to figure out what temperature is considered normal in cats.

The normal temperature for a cat is 38-39 degrees. But don’t panic right away if the indicator deviates slightly from the norm. Here are the common reasons for the thermometer to shift:

immediately after sleep, the thermometer drops by a couple of divisions;
in the evening the cat’s body temperature will be higher than in the morning;
Kittens have a slightly higher temperature than adult animals.

If the temperature rises due to illness, you should not self-medicate - the animal should be taken to the veterinarian.

Warning signs

We must not forget that such actions by a cat can mean diseases of the respiratory system, oral cavity or other parts of the body. Only a veterinarian can accurately determine the cause of this behavior.

A cat may have a protruding tongue if he has sinusitis, rhinitis, or has contracted pneumonia. Such diseases can be dangerous not only for humans, but also for animals. Fluid flowing from the nose, heavy breathing and a protruding tongue can be prerequisites for the onset of health problems. You cannot start treatment on your own; your pet’s condition may worsen sharply.

When heart failure occurs, there is a lack of air in the body, which is also life-threatening. If the cat moves little and lies with its tongue hanging out, and its breathing is rare and labored, you should sound the alarm and go to the doctor. Even small deviations in the proper functioning of the heart will affect breathing, because these two systems are closely connected.

Foam vomiting, nausea, bloating, frequent coughing are likely prerequisites for poisoning.

You should pay attention to the following symptoms, if they occur, you should immediately contact the clinic:

if the animal has difficulty breathing;
sudden aggression;
poor appetite, problems eating food;
swollen mucous membranes.

Blood circulation may be impaired after injuries to the skull, jaw, infection or stroke. Most of these diseases do not go away without leaving a trace and limit the movement of certain muscles or the entire body.

A proper treatment program drawn up by a veterinarian will remove the remaining consequences of past diseases. Only those cats that are at an advanced age are less likely to recover

Pathologies requiring treatment

As you can see, cats stick out the tip of their tongue quite often, and in most cases this is not a reason for panic, but in combination with a number of other symptoms, it may indicate the presence of health problems.

So, let's figure out when your pet should be taken to the vet as soon as possible.

Heart diseases

A cat can stick out its tongue with cardiomyopathy, ischemia, hypertension, heart failure and many other diseases of the cardiovascular system.

IMPORTANT: if the kitten always walks with his tongue sticking out

..., but no symptoms are detected, take the baby to the veterinarian

Perhaps your cat has an incorrect bite, and then it is very important to monitor the cat’s drinking, because you cannot allow the tissues of the tip of the tongue to dry out

An adult cat can sometimes “freeze” when washing itself. Distracted by something more interesting than hygiene, an adult cat may forget to remove his tongue

The cat sleeps with its tongue hanging out

Cats tend to do all sorts of strange things that are both cute and mysterious. The behavior you'll read about is quite common! Cats are self-sufficient and proud animals. However, sometimes they do something so funny and crazy that their serious image inevitably suffers. These situations can make everyone laugh, and one of them is forgetting to hide your tongue in your mouth, usually while sleeping. This phenomenon even has its own hashtag: #catsleepingtongue. Find out why a cat sleeps with its tongue hanging out!

Features of cat physiology

In hot weather, the animal's heat exchange may be disrupted. This is what the sticking out tongue says.
If this behavior is accompanied by aggression and increased salivation, this indicates the presence of rabies or another serious infectious disease.
The organ does not fit in the mouth. This may be a feature, or it may indicate the presence of oral diseases. This could be damage to the mouth, jaw or teeth.
Mental retardation from birth. In such inferior kittens, which could have been bred in the process of crossing several breeds, this is an innate feature.
Expression of fear at sharp, loud, unpleasant sounds. Many cats react this way to tape coming off. And for some others, such a reaction is observed with the cotton that is heard when champagne is opened.
This unusual behavior may be quite normal for certain breeds of cats. Most often, this is how four-legged friends show their devotion and trust in their owner. However, some express delight in this way.
Impaired sense of smell. The pet sticks out its tongue because it cannot catch some odors. And this causes him some inconvenience.
The onset of labor, which is accompanied by strong nervous tension and intense licking of fur. Due to excitement and unpleasant sensations, the cat simply forgets about this organ, and it involuntarily falls out of its mouth.
A bone stuck in the mouth, teeth or even throat. This is usually accompanied by certain sounds: coughing or snorting. The cat may also try to pick at its mouth with its paw. If you notice such symptoms, you should immediately contact a veterinary clinic.
This is how pets can react to dogs. Especially if they have already had unpleasant experiences with these animals.