# Any kitty experts out there? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 10, 2002, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-kitty-experts-out-there/113171 "2002-06-10T01:34:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tolyri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@tolyri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tolyri)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-kitty-experts-out-there/113171/1 "2002-06-10T01:34:10Z")
My kitty [Marley](http://http://www.ofoto.com/PhotoView.jsp?UV=648292160728_54861964403&US=0&collid=15289443403&photoid=62300543403) has been sticking his tongue out lately. Is this normal? My husband said his grandmother started sticking her tongue out as she got older, and that’s what made me nervous. Marley is about seven, he was a stray so we’re not too sure of his age. I’ve had him for five years and this is the first I’ve seen of the tongue thing. Anyone else been through this with a pet? Call me cheap, but I don’t want to pay vet bills unless somethings really wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-kitty-experts-out-there/113171/2 "2002-06-10T01:58:08Z")
Is he just showing the tip of it, or sticking most of it out? When did it start? Does he do it all the time or just once in a while? It there anything else he does just before or after he sticks his tongue out? ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-kitty-experts-out-there/113171/3 "2002-06-10T02:01:43Z")
I have a cat that does the same, and have had others in the past do this, no big deal. I don’t think it’s anything serious, just a quirk, but call a vet and ask her, to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-kitty-experts-out-there/113171/4 "2002-06-10T02:06:29Z")
If it’s just the tip…my cats do it all the time. It’s nothing to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-kitty-experts-out-there/113171/5 "2002-06-10T04:09:07Z")
Mancat does that too, mostly when he’s relaxed. He just hangs it out, not in and out repeatedly. He’s also about 7 or 8. He’s also a cat. That say’s a lot. A call to the vet is good advice, imo. Where’d ya get that link? 😃 Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-kitty-experts-out-there/113171/6 "2002-06-10T06:03:20Z")
Such a cute kitty! My cat does it too. Kittens seem to do it more, I’ve known cats that have “grown out of” doing it (maybe their jaws grew longer than their tongues?!) Either way, it looks _really_ cute. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-kitty-experts-out-there/113171/7 "2002-06-10T12:09:10Z")
My cat suddenly started sticking his tongue out at age 13. We ignored it. Turned out he had mouth cancer, and the pain/pressure was making him stick his tongue out. He died a painful death. Also, sometimes this can be an indication that the kitty has tooth problems, or a problem with salivary ducts. You should take him in, just in case, if this is truly a sudden and persistant change in cattitude. ---
**Author:** ![S\_Puppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@S\_Puppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/S_Puppy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-kitty-experts-out-there/113171/8 "2002-06-10T12:49:43Z")
I am not a kitty expert but I am owned by a cat who sticks the tip of his tonge out on occasion. Sometimes when he is sleeping, sometimes when he is awake. He has been doing it for years. The vets says he is in great health. ---
**Author:** ![TwoBuyFour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/76d3ee/32.png) [@TwoBuyFour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoBuyFour)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-kitty-experts-out-there/113171/9 "2002-06-10T13:30:56Z")
One of my cats just celebrated his ninth birthday (maybe “celebrated” is too strong a word) and he’s always had the tip of his tongue sticking out. The vet says he’s fine, but strange. I disagree. If he could curl it or turn it over, now THAT would be strange. As it is, he just gets teased more than the other cats in the neighborhood ---
**Author:** ![breaknrun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@breaknrun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breaknrun)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-kitty-experts-out-there/113171/10 "2002-06-10T13:34:08Z")
I’ve had cats all my life and only one has stuck his tongue out and that was because he lost several of his teeth in a fall from a tree. If this is a new thing for your cat, and if he seems to do it frequently, I’d say something’s wrong and he should be checked out. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-kitty-experts-out-there/113171/11 "2002-06-10T16:16:13Z")
The only times my cats stick their toungues out is when they’ve been cleaning themselves and forget pull their toungue back in afterwards 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-kitty-experts-out-there/113171/12 "2002-06-10T22:03:34Z")
My cats do this all the time. I even have pictures.