Why do cats have rough tongues

 

Cat owners have no doubt been licked by their pets more than once. At this moment, one could not fail to notice the roughness of the cat's tongue. What causes this feature and why do animals need a rough tongue?

Structural features and functionality

Cats are very neat animals. Regardless of how thick and long their coat was, it always had a neat and well-groomed appearance. If you observe your pet, you will notice that he actually washes and licks his fur several times a day. It is the roughness of the tongue that plays an important role in the treatment.

The organ for this cat is a natural comb. This effect is achieved due to the keratinized papillae on their surface, directed towards the pharynx. They resemble hooks in their appearance. From above, the points are covered with a layer of keratin, which also consists of human nails. Therefore, the manifestation of the love of an animal, when it diligently licks its owner, can cause discomfort and even pain, as thin “hooks” scratch the skin like sandpaper.

Skillfully using their body parts, pets remove loose hair, parasites, debris and comb through stray clumps. In addition, such growths on the surface of the tongue allow the animal to better separate meat from bones when eating.

Interesting fact:  Due to this peculiarity of the tongue structure, cats perceive the taste of food better than other animals. The “hook” on it holds the food in your mouth, allowing you to taste its taste.

The shape of a cat's tongue resembles a spoon, which is why cats eat liquid food so easily. It also functions as a heat dissipator. In very hot weather, cats stick out their tongues and begin to breathe more often. This is how they cool the body.

By the way, dogs have a completely different language, the surface is smooth. These animals do not comb themselves, they are cared for by breeders and their owners.

cat tongue

dog tongue

How to make caring for your cat easier?

We use hairbrushes and regularly care for these personal care products. A similar approach is needed for cat tongues. Hair can become entangled between the hard papillae, which must be removed, otherwise it can cause serious damage to the health of the pet.

Most of the fur that a cat swallows comes out with its feces or vomit. If lumps of wild wool remain in the digestive tract, the use of laxatives or even surgery is unavoidable.

To prevent the animal from swallowing wool, it needs help in grooming itself. To do this, it is enough to regularly comb the cat's body with a brush, removing dead hair. Then it will be easier for representatives of cats to comb themselves without harm to health.

Not all cats take on such positive characteristics from their language. Lazy people who are overweight prefer to be cared for by their owners, so that they do not comb themselves. It is known that cats are neater than cats, the latter being much less likely to use their rough tongue as a comb.