Why Are Cats Tongues Rough?: The Cat Tongue Explained

why are cats tongues rough?

If you have ever been casually petting your cat after a long day only for then to suddenly lick you, you might have discovered that their tongue feels like a rough sandpaper against your skin almost.

Just why do cats have rough tongues like this?

If you have spent some time around these animals or ever been licked by one before, then you have probably thought about this question at least once or twice.

After all, our own tongues aren’t nearly as rough or coarse as theirs are.

Cat and dog owners may be even more perplexed regarding this, as this is something that is largely unique to felines in particular.

So, what gives?

Why does Whisker’s tongue feel less like a winters kiss and more like a rough sandstorm?

Well, long story short, it is because their tongues are meant to be long and flexible and to reach nearly every part of their body.

This rough surface on their tongue has a very particular set of tasks that greatly help the animal in both the wild and in the modern house as well.

Keep reading, as we dive deeper into the nature of these complex animals and just why their tongues are so rough and coarse.

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why are cats tongues rough?

The Cat Tongue Basics

First, before we get into the juicy details and specifics of why their tongue has that sandpaper texture and feel to it, it is important to first understand it’s physical anatomy and makeup overall.

That way, when we see how it functions in relation to them as opposed to our own tongues, we will have a better understanding of why it is the way it is. Make sense?

Well, like our tongues, a cat’s tongue is a muscular organ that works alongside the digestive system in the body as a way to more effectively ready any food eaten for consumption.

Similar to our own tongues (yet to a higher degree) it carries taste receptors that, when worked in tandem with their incredible sense of smell, can let them immediately know whether a food is safe to eat or not.

It is primarily located in the mouth with its lower half actually reaching down to the bottom of the pharynx (throat).

The cat’s tongue is compromised of three different aspects and parts, each vital in their functionality:

The Vertex

This is the corresponding tip of the tongue.

When used for eating, the vertex essentially “scoops” the food or liquid into the mouth for chewing.

The Body

Found at the center of the tongue, this holds the food in place long enough to ensure that only food pieces of a certain size can progress further down the throat.

It is also where any last-minute chewing or splitting might occur.

The Root

The root is found at the baste of the throat.

The food travels down this part of the tongue before effectively being “swallowed” or eaten before then going into the stomach and digestive tract.

Now, it should be noted that virtually all animals have some form of this three-part makeup to their tongue, even if it may not always be exactly the same.

What makes cats particularly unique is that, as mentioned earlier, their taste buds are particularly refined.

As all cat owners and cat fans may well know, these fancy animals will literally turn their nose up to just about anything that doesn’t meet their stringent standards fully.

Unlike dogs, which will literally eat their own poo, cats take everything into consideration before eating something and enjoying a nice meal. If that meal is good enough, that is…

From the smell to the texture itself, to even its consistency, all these things factor into the final “taste” for a cat.

This is an evolutionary trait that has allowed cats and felines in general to live as long as they have, especially for the types of stomach digestion that they have.

Nature is smart remember, it knows what it is doing.

The good news is that, rest assured, if you see little Oliver is eating your food, he must really like it. Either that or he must be really hungry!

Also read: do cats know their own name?

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cats tongue explained…

All Right, But Why Are Their Tongues Rough Though?

It is actually very much related to their tongues overall anatomy interestingly.

You see, cats, unlike most other animals (humans included) do not have a particularly powerful set of jaws.

While their front-facing teeth are incredibly powerful and strong, and can greatly injure you if they intend to, the same cannot be said for their back molars.

These teeth are incredibly small and do not pack nearly the strength required to hold a piece of food that has gone through the initial grater that is their front teeth.

That is why, if you have ever watched your cat eat, you might notice that they take considerable strength just to break down even wet foods when using their back teeth.

How they get around this though is the use of their tongues, clever little things.

These tongues have a layer of “spiky” or “thorny” tissue covering it known as “papillae”.

While this is technically why a cat’s tongue is so rough, it is also so much more than that.

As mentioned earlier, these tiny backward-facing barbs, while certainly having a sandpaper-like quality to them, are meant to essentially “hold things” as a grip in the cats mouth, and to ensure that it is small enough and easy enough to swallow without any complications.

It is made up of what is known as keratin, a substance that large comprises our own hair and nails, and it has an incredibly large number of functions that, when compared to our own tongues, make them seem almost superhuman in a way.

What Makes It So Great Then?

Well, I am glad you asked!

To put it simply, it is pretty much the swiss-army knife of tongues.

While we’ve already covered one part of eating (which was to hold things in place) that is only one piece of the whole puzzle.

If you have ever fed a cat a piece of chicken or a large piece of meat, one thing you have likely seen at least once is that they, if it is too large to be swallowed, will be semi regurgitated back up in the most peculiar way imaginable.

It is very strange to see.

In these instances, it is almost as if they were eating in reverse as the pieces of meat are essentially pulled back by the barbs on the tongue.

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the cats tongue helps them drink water…

It Helps Them Drink Water

Similarly, their tongues are used whenever they drink water as well.

Unlike us, who can tilt the bottle in a certain direction, or dogs who have such strong and malleable tongues that they can easily make a bowl in their mouth, cats rely on the spines to essentially hold the water or milk in place long enough to quickly retract and swallow.

It is why a cat will take twenty tiny licks of water compared to a dog’s five to ten laps of it in comparison.

It Helps With Grooming

Finally, a cat’s tongue, as you probably know, acts as a nice comb or a grooming device for our stylish little friends.

Unless you have a hairless cat, you know that they tend to shed quite bit and quite often. Sometimes your sofa will be covered in hairs almost magically after your cat has been there!

In addition to eating and drinking, their tongue actually helps hasten this process nicely through catching and pulling the top layer of shed fur that, for one reason or another, hasn’t fallen off their body yet.

Basically, it helps pull off that loose fur like a hairbrush would do.

And while many people would claim that this is a negative due to potential hairballs and the like, you have to realize that hairballs in cats, for the most part, are largely natural and inevitable.

If cats had ridgeless tongues like you or I have, this would actually be a huge downside for them, as rather than pulling up and combing away that excess fur and accumulated dirt and grime, they would end up matting it down further into their fur.

It would not clean their fur if that were the case.

In the wild, this is even more so important for cats.

After a cat has freshly killed their prey, this grooming practice effectively pulls any excess traces of the blood or animal from their own body and fur.

When coupled with their tongue carrying their own scent and basically covering the smell of their prey, this greatly helps them in the wild even further.

For one, it removes the blood scent of the prey from their body, allowing them to hunt more animals with less worry of being detected.

Secondly, it hides them from potential rivals or predators that may wish to attack them or steal their food away from them.

While this is less prevalent in “big cats” such as lions or tigers (though very much still a thing), it is much more vital in smaller felines such as Cheetahs or Bobcats as an example.

Also read: Why does my cat lick me?

Also read: 9 cats that don’t shed a lot.

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The Downsides

While largely vital and important in the wild, like many things, domestication has caused these animals tongues to develop a few setbacks…

While this isn’t a huge list of setbacks, there are some things that should be mentioned and made aware of as they could potentially become serious in rare cases:

Hairballs

This is the most obvious thing that comes to ones mind.

But, as mentioned before, hairballs are completely natural in felines. It is simply their body’s way of removing waste, which in this case is their own fur from the body.

With that said, while it is natural, it isn’t always aesthetically pleasing to look at. To mitigate this, it is good to make a habit of regularly brushing your cats coat at least once every day or so, depending on how long their fur is.

If you have a good cat brush to brush their lovely fur, spending just a few minutes or so a day will dramatically reduce the amount of hairballs left on your rug or on your new sofa.

Yarn and String

A much more potential issue, when playing with your cat, always be aware that because their tongues are bristled, small and thin objects such as strings are very likely to get caught in their tongue and can cause a very real issue if this happens.

If you want to play with your cat, you should consider using larger items such as small mouse toys or light pointers that won’t get caught in their tongue by accident.

Final Words

These are pretty amazing creatures with numerous things about them that are very worthy of respect and admiration.

While their tongues can get a little uncomfortable at times and have some flaws like most things do, they are the product of a thousands years worth of evolution.

Even if it can feel rough against your skin, especially when your cat is trying to do good by grooming you, just know that this is helping them out in a ton of other different ways that we may not even be aware of.

Let us know what you think in the comments below!

What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?… (sorry)

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Author: Cathour

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