Of the scores of cats we’ve had over the years, all had the standard-issue raspy tongue. Of our two current cats, one has the usual one that will rip flesh right off my hand when he licks me.
The other guy, however, has an almost-smooth tongue. Not quite like a dog’s, but just a tiny bit more raspy. Three times a week I give each guy an inch of Petromalt on my fingers to forestall hairballs (it works).
Zubin licks it up in a matter of seconds, but poor Mehta laps and laps and laps before being able to get it all. He does not seem to grasp the concept of just biting the lump, so takes forever. The same goes for a little dab of butter I give them once in a while.
I think there is a way to sharpen rasp files. Would this work on a cat’s tongue?
I don’t know, but cat tongues have always remained a mystery to me. I remember the first time I actually got a good look at one (yawning cat)–it freaked me right out. I always assumed they were covered in bumps–but they aren’t, they have… grooves, like the surface of a rare undersea sponge. The darndest thing, it is.
Our cat has an extra-raspy tongue. She can lick your skin off in a matter of moments, it feels like. I’m always astonished by it. I’ve had cats all my life, but Emily’s tongue is raspier than any other cat I’ve ever met by at least a factor of four.
I wouldn’t mind, but I fear she might have something to say about it. Something that would make even Pit denizens cringe. She’s got an amazing vocabulary when it comes to chewing her humans out!
I have a friend with a Chihuahua named Etamame.She is very friendly and licks people happily and it took me a while to figure out why this creeped me out. Edie, though no larger than a cat, does in fact have a smooth doggy tongue.
I had a kitten once who would climb up on your shoulder and lick the back of your neck for as long as you’d let her. My neck become raw and irritated after awhile, and apparently I developed a huge red spot, because people would ask me what happened to my neck. She grew out of it eventually.
I agree! Maybe it is just what I got used to while growing up, but a raspy cat tongue feels normal, and a dog’s tongue is just all slobbery. I like dogs, but not so much with the licking.
The male cat’s penis has spines which point backwards. Upon withdrawal of the penis, the spines rake the walls of the female’s vagina, which may cause ovulation.
