The Nose, Tongue, and Scenting Abilities
Around the nose the skin is lightly furred. The cat's nose has nineteen million nerves just for smelling, compared to the human's five million. This area, plus the nose itself, is extremely sensitive to temperature changes. The upper lip itself can detect an increase in warmth of less than two degrees and an increase in coolness of less than one degress.
The cat's tongue is an amazing organ. It curl inward when the cat drinks, forming a little spoon; every for or five laps, the cat will swallow the liquid. The tongue is thin and pliant at the edges, but thickens in the center. It is also covered with dozens of little rough projections with hooked ends extending backward. These rough protrusions can rasp meat off bones and remove loose fur.
Scientists say that cats have only four tastes; sweet, sour, salt , and bitter. They can also detect the difference between plain water and other liquids. Some cats develop tastes for specific foods.
Traditionally, cats are supposed to like catnip, and some say valerian. However, in 1963 scientists discovered that cats inherit the catnip response, which explains why some cats are crazy about the herb and others ignore it. Cats can detect the ordor of catnip (The active ingredient in catnip which attracts cats is nepetalactone) in the sir in as little as one part per billion. Mosts cats will roll in the catnip and inhale its ordor to get their temporary "high". However, once in a while a cat will carefully select one leaf and eat it.
All cats have a peculiar habit of opening their mouths and wrinkling their noses when they detect certain odors. This reaction is called flehmen. Many think this is caused by the odor itself, as when humans smell something disagreeable. However, this isn't true. The cat has an auxiliary scent gland far back on the roof of the mouth called the Jacobson's organ. This organ is connected to different part of the hypothalamus, while the olfactory cells of the nose are connected to a different part of the brain.
When a cat flehms, it starts by smelling or licking an object, often a sex gland, then raising its head and inhaling through the mouth. The lip pulls back and the nose wrinkles, giving an expression of disgust. At the same time the tongue flicks against the roof of the mouth, depositing the odor on the duct of the Jacobson's organ. This helps the cat analyze any substance that might be of significance to it.
Cats also have been know to snore. The snore may only be a tiny buzzing-like rattle, just at the edge of your hearing, or a noise loud enough to wake you feom a sound sleep. As with humans, a cat's snore is very individual.
©1999
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