Why does a cats tongue feel like sandpaper?
To the cat, the sandpaper feeling tongue is a vital tool. The little prickly things covering the upper surface of the tongue are called papillae, and has hundreds of small backward pointing protuberances constructed of virtually the same substance as human fingernails. The cat uses his tongue like a comb to give himself an extra deep cleaning so that he leaves no odor to warn prey as he sneaks upon it. Not only does the tongue feel like sandpaper, it’s used like it, designed to scrape that last little bit of meat from bones. This talent is no longer used by the average house cat, although the big African wild cats still use their tongues to pick the bones of carcasses clean, ensuring every last nutritious bite. At birth, a newborn kitten’s tongue has a rim of spines that runs along the edge. These spines help give the hungry kitten a good grip on their mother’s nipple. How many teeth do cats have? Cats have 30 teeth, each specially adapted for a specific job – such as stabbing, slicing
