Why Does Your Cat's Tongue Feel Like SandpaperDeep Look

Cats are obsessed with staying clean. They can spend up to half their waking hours
grooming. Their tongue is covered in tiny spines. Theyre what makes the tongue feel so sandpapery.

These spines, called papillae, are made of
keratin, just like their claws and our fingernails. The papillae even look like miniature cat
claws. They do an impeccable job of detangling their
fur. Researchers at Georgia Tech made a 3D model
of a cats tongue to test how it works.

See how the fur just peels off? Its because the spines are all angled in
the same direction. With a typical hairbrush, youd have to
pick the fur out from between the bristles. So why are cats so preoccupied with grooming? For them, its about more than just vanity. For one thing, its a way to show affection--
to build bonds.

Thats why they appreciate us petting them. And it spreads out oils produced by the cats
skin that gives their fur some water resistance. But when it really comes down to it, for cats,
staying clean is a matter of life and death. Cats are carnivores ambush predators.

They hide and sneak up on their unsuspecting
prey. One whiff of the wrong odor could give the
cat away. But when they pounce, its their bite that
finishes the job. Cats have extra-wide mouths so they can get
their teeth around their preys neck.

It would be like having the corners of your
mouth go all the way back by your ears. But theres a tradeoff that comes with that
big bite. Those wide mouths mean their lips cant
come together to form a good seal. They cant create suction to drink the way
we do.

So, they flick the water with the tip of their
tongue Researchers at MIT made a model using a glass
disc, to show how cats get a drink by just barely touching the waters surface. The water sticks to the disc and to itself. Lift the disc at the right speed and it pulls
the water up into a column. Then, the cat bites it at precisely the right
moment to get as much water as possible.

And all of this happens four times per second! Its a complicated way to take a drink,
but its just one of prices cats pay to be the expert predators they are Hey guys, Its Lauren. You know you love fuzzy critters. So check out our other episodes like this
one. See what you can learn about a squirrel's
mood just by looking at its tail.

Or how the fuzziness of owl feathers makes
them such stealthy hunters. And if you like the show, share us! Thanks for watching..