It almost looks like a leer . Your CT will unfold her mouth , curl her upper lip , and strip her incisors . Then she ’ll make a funny face . If you see your cat doing this , you ’re probably watching a flehmen response .
Samantha Bell , a cat expert atBest Friends Animal Society , a leading brute eudaimonia organisation in the U.S. , says the flehmen response in cats is like “ smell in super hi - atomic number 75 . ”
That ’s because this behavior activates numerous receptors in guy ’ mouth that put their sense of feel into overdrive .
So how do flehmen response in big cat work ? And why do computerized axial tomography make these suspect , sneering faces in the first place ?
What Is the Flehmen Response?
Dr. Gabrielle Fadl , theater director of primary care ofBond Vet , says that cats use flehmen response to gather information .
“ Cats learn a caboodle about the creation around them by scent , and the flehmen reaction help them ‘ read ’ even more scents and pheromone , ” she says .
Bell says that CAT get this scent - come information by “ opening two tiny canal on the cap of their mouth behind their front tooth . ”
“ Those ducts go through the roof of their mouth and link to the Jacobson ’s electronic organ , ” say Bell .
The Jacobson ’s pipe organ , also know as the vomeronasal pipe organ , is located between a cat ’s backbreaking roof of the mouth and nasal septum , with tubes that melt down to the nasal passages and mouth .
In his bookCat Sense , cat expert John Bradshaw say the vomeronasal pipe organ is packed with chemical sensory receptor that allow Caterpillar to process olfactory property other than than if they smelled through their nose .
Humans do not have this same ability , but Bradshaw enounce the vomeronasal organ ’s function “ lies somewhere between our weed of olfactory modality and taste . ”
“ appreciate how khat make role of this faculty requires a leap of imagination , ” he drop a line in his book .
Bradshaw tot up that cats likely serve a panoptic range of smells since their vomeronasal reed organ incorporate at least 30 dissimilar receptor . domestic dog , on the other script , only have nine .
While humans can not engender a flehmen response , other animals besides domestic bozo can .
“ This flehmen response is very common in the animate being world , ” says Bell . “ It ’s most often encounter in domesticated cats and horses . But giraffes , goat , llamas , hedgehogs , rhinoceros , panda , big cats like lions and Panthera tigris , and many other animals do it , too ! ”
Cat Flehmen Response: What Does It Look Like?
Cat flehmen reception is oft called computed tomography sneering . Yet Bell say it look more like a grimace than a sneer .
“ A sneer usually has one side of the lip bring up , and this face has the whole backtalk up , ” she says . “ I bed a destiny of people call it ‘ stink boldness . ’ ”
Specific body voice communication often companion a flehmen reply in cats . For illustration , Bell enunciate it usually happens when cats raise their heads after take care down to sniff something .
“ The cat ’s head goes from down ( while sniffing ) to up , sometimes held high-pitched , while expose the flehmen response , ” she says . “ They also look like they ’re in a daze for a duad of seconds while their organic structure works to investigate the scent . ”
Dr. Fadl trace the flehmen reply in cats another way—“as if they ’ve just smell something malodourous . ”
However , she adds that computerized axial tomography are not “ expressing an opinion on what they ’ve just smell out , ” but making that funny face to “ boost their detection of scents and pheromones . ”
Most citizenry find cat flehmen responses quite amusing , too . “ I laugh every time I see it ! ” enunciate Bell .
What Does the Cat Flehmen Response Mean?
InCat Sense , Bradshaw order that Caterpillar use their vomeronasal organ to “ detect the smells of other cats . ”
“ manly cats perform it after sniffle pee marks left by female , include during courting , and female guy will do the same toward urine marks leave by tomcats , although only if the tom is not present , ” he writes .
Bell says that male cat display this behavior more often than female , likely because they ’re sniffing out chemical substances called pheromones that give selective information about mating . She articulate that even altered males are known to show the flehmen response .
found on her experience , Bell also say that some cats seem to exhibit the flehmen response more than others , but she is n’t cognisant of any scientific research to explain this .
“ One of my cats does it daily ( unremarkably after sniffing his brother ’s butt ) , and I ’ve never seen the other one do it , ” she says .
Dr. Fadl says that a computed axial tomography may show the flehmen answer more regularly due toanxietyabout a potential terror in their environment . Or , she says it could be a “ signal of concern for a different Arabian tea in the household . ”
“ For instance , maybe another qat in the home suddenly startsurinating unsuitably , which might be due to a urinary , kidney , or other wellness problem , ” she say . “ The Arabian tea that smells their housemate ’s piddle might exhibit flehmen as a response . ”
What to Do About the Cat Flehmen Response
Is a flehmen reaction a cause for concern ? Bell says it is n’t .
“ It ’s a perfectly normal part of being a cat and just means they ’re quite rummy about the human race around them , ” she says .
However , confab your veterinary if you remark yourcat take a breather with an opened mouthand you ’re doubtful whether it ’s a flehmen reaction . In some cases , this behavior could be a sign of upper respiratory distress , tell Bell .
Dr. Fadl tally that while flehmen response is n’t ordinarily a cause for concern , you should look up your veterinary surgeon if you remark any unusual or sudden behavior alteration in your cat .
“ It ’s important to ensure it actually is a flehmen response and not a symptom of malady that might seem similar , ” she says . “ For example , a cat with nasal botheration or a respiratory infection might draw their face up in a similar way , especially veracious beforesneezing . Any additional symptoms besides just flehmen ( for example , inappetence , change to body free weight or bathroom habits , sneezing or coughing , etc . ) should prompt a veterinary visit , too . ”
But if your cat is indeed displaying a flehmen reply , take a consequence to be astonied . Your feline companion is experiencing smell in a way you never would be able to .
And let ’s take on it — it ’s also quite funny to see your cat curl her sass and display that good ‘ ole stink face .
