Why do cats' tongues feel like sandpaper?

Don't you just love when people copy/paste something they looked up?

While the sandpaper tongue may serve many purposes, first and foremost is its life as a predator.

Yep, cats are born killers, and the traits that make them killers are some of the traits that make us love cats. One of those is grooming. Cats groom constantly because if they don't clean all vestiges of they last pret from their fur, their next prey can smell them coming. That's why they have built-in brushes and combs to dig into their coat and clean out any blood, sweat, dirt, etc. that may be left behind from a kill. Your cat didn't kill anything? Doesn't matter. It's a biological imperative that they groom this way. It would be really hard to breed this behavior out of a cat. But why would you want to? They are the cleanest domestic pets around!

So, if after a meal your kitty sits down and zones out on a good groom, just remember that it's emulating ancestors after a meal of having taken down a wildebeast and was covered in blood, gore, and the scent of fear. When next it sneaks up on its prey, should the wind be against it, the prey will not smell its approach because of that sandpaper tongue doing such an excellent job.

A cat's tongue has a special area in the center. In the center of your cat's tongue are papillae -- little hooked, hair-like growths that face towards the back of the mouth. These strong hooks are made from keratin (the same stuff found in human fingernails). The hooks help clean and separate the cat's fur. The hooks can help gather food into the mouth. The hooks can help hold struggling prey in place. Special mushroom-shaped papillae at the tip and along the sides of the tongue hold large taste buds. Another set of cup-shaped papillae sit at the back of the tongue. When a cat drinks, the tongue takes on a spoon-like shape. If you watch closely as your cat drinks, you may see her dip her tongue into the water several times before swallowing. The way a cat's tongue dips under the water is similar to how an elephant curls its trunk. The cat's tongue is a very sophisticated muscle.

Rough Sandpaper

Have you ever been licked by a cat? If so, you will notice that it feels like there is sandpaper on their tongues. The bumps on their tongues are called papillae. These are tiny hooks that point backwards. You can compare it to the bumpy side of Velcro.

The little hooks on their tongues catch loose hair, flaky skin, dirt and fleas. The cats then swallow what they have licked. Their stomach acid is very strong and dissolves what they have licked.In some cases, there are cats that swallow too much hair and it can’t dissolve. They end up coughing it up as a hairball.

A cat's tongue is rough. The tongue of a domestic cat feels much like coarse sandpaper. The tongue of a big wild cat, such as the lion or the tiger, is much rougher. The tongue surface is covered with rasplike projections or barbs that face backward into the throat. All cats use their tongues as a major grooming tool to clean and comb the fur, but they also use them as efficient tools to strip flesh off the bones of prey.

Also read that a tiger's tongue is so rough it can lick paint off of a wall. Wow! Instead of paint stripping, just get a tiger. LOL.

A feeling of rough sandpaper as you are licked by your cat is a reminder that its long, muscular tongue serves many functions, including grooming.

A Grooming Tool and More

A cat’s ability to groom itself is the result of numerous knobs called papillae on the surface of a cat’s tongue. Located at the tongue’s center, the papillae form backward-facing hooks containing large amounts of keratin, the same material found in human fingernails. These hooks provide the abrasiveness a cat needs for self-grooming.

The strength of these hooks also helps a cat hold food or struggle with prey.

Your Help is Needed

Although the abrasiveness of a cat’s tongue helps it to clean itself and untangle its hair, your help is needed through regular grooming. As you groom your cat, you are removing loose and dead hair. Otherwise a cat may ingest this hair and hair balls can form, which can cause vomiting and may cause impaction in the gastrointestinal tract. Longhaired cats need daily grooming; shorthaired cats should be groomed at least once a week.

A Matter of Taste

Studies show that the cat’s sense of taste is keener than that of the dog. This acute sense of taste is the result of two sets of taste buds.

Mushroom-shaped papillae at the tip and sides of the tongue hold some of the largest taste buds. A set of cup-shaped papillae are located at the back of the tongue.

Palatability studies at the Purina Pet Care Center and other studies show that in addition to flavor, a cat’s tongue reacts to the texture or mouthfeel of a particular food. This is one of the reasons dry cat foods come in a variety of shapes.

The cat’s tongue also reacts to temperature and shows a preference for foods at room temperature.

When Cats Lap it Up

A cat’s tongue becomes spoon-shaped to enable it to lap liquids. Notice how its tongue laps under water in much the same manner as an elephant uses its trunk. It flicks its tongue quickly in and out of the water, swallowing after every third or fourth lap.

Cats are just like their larger cousins (Lions, etc) the tongues are rough to equip them for scraping meat off bones of their prey/ If it were a Tiger licking you, it could litteraly take yhour skin off.remember, God made cat so man could caress the Lion

Their tongues have this texture so that licking their fur cleans it.

For easier scratching crowbirds!!!!

they wouldn't be able to clean themselves with a smooth toungue

its like that because they use their tongue to groom themselves.