In honor of National Cleaning Week I just had to add this photo of a cat cleaning his fur. Cleaning week is not just about cleaning the house, it's about all things related to cleaning and this picture is fantastic.Macro photo of a cat cleaning itself, showing the hooked papilla on the tongue. Wowwwww! Look at that! No wonder when a cat licks you it feels like sandpaper.
Licking is a common way for animals to clean themselves. In mammals, licking helps keep the fur clean and untangled. The tongues of many mammals have a rough upper surface that acts like a brush when the animal licks its fur.Some animals, such as cats, also use licking to cool themselves. As cats do not sweat the way humans do, the saliva deposited by licking provides a similar means of evaporative cooling.
Many animals also drink by licking. While young mammals drink milk from their mothers' nipples by sucking, the typical method of drinking for adult mammals involves dipping the tongue repeatedly into water and using it to scoop water into the mouth. This method of drinking relies in part on the water adhering to the surface of the tongue and in part on muscular control of the tongue to form it into a spoonlike shape.
Animals also use their tongue to enhance their sense of smell. By licking a surface, molecules on it are transferred via the tongue to the olfactory receptors in the nose and in the vomeronasal organ.
Dogs and cats use licking both to clean, and to show affection among themselves or to humans typically licking their faces..
We have 7 beautiful cats in our home and we love each of them dearly. Do you have any comments on a cats tongue? Would you like to tell us something about a cat cleaning? Please do. Just click the comments button. Make everyday a Holiday.. Pam~
