The scoop on how your cat's sandpapery tongue deep cleans

[TexasTowelie]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Cat lovers know when kitties groom, their tongues are pretty scratchy. Using high-tech scans and some other tricks, scientists are learning how those sandpapery tongues help cats get clean and stay cool.

The secret: Tiny hooks that spring up on the tongue — with scoops built in to carry saliva deep into all that fur.

A team of mechanical engineers reported the findings Monday, and say they're more than a curiosity. They could lead to inventions for pets and people.

"Their tongue could help us apply fluids, or clean carpets, or apply medicine" to hairy skin, said Georgia Tech lead researcher Alexis Noel, who is seeking a patent for a 3D-printed, tongue-inspired brush.

Read more: https://www.dentonrc.com/ap/washington/the-scoop-on-how-your-cat-s-sandpapery-tongue-deep/article_81376467-d3be-5e3e-94f0-97caaeeb38a5.html

[Demovictory9]

1. cats own that patent

[Rhiannon12866]

2. This also explains why my Felix gets hairballs

He has very long thick fur.

[TexasTowelie]

3. I'm not in the mood to discuss hairballs.

The female cat threw up on the floor about an hour ago. She's never done that before.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. Oh! I'm sorry!

Did she eat something? I have to keep plastic grocery bags out of Felix's reach - he tries to nibble on them. And I've tried all kinds of hairball remedies, but he still gets one once in awhile.

[TexasTowelie]

5. I don't think that she had anything bad.

She is a domestic shorthair. She has hacked before, but never spat out any food before. It's been a few weeks since she was bathed and since tomorrow is supposed to be warmer I might have to dunk her to get rid of the excess hair.

[Rhiannon12866]

6. I do hope that helps - there's no chance I could do that with Felix.

He has more than one brush and I try to get some swipes in when he's in the right mood. As you know, he was a little bitey thing when I found him - but it's been over 4 years and he still has that tendency. Think I mentioned that when I took him to the vet for inoculations they fortunately shaved off a couple of mats - and he bit the vet's wife who was holding him - fortunately she didn't get upset, I've known them for years, but I felt pretty bad.

[More_Cowbell]

7. The next time I get new carpet...

I'm just matching it to my cat, so the hairballs are less noticeable.

[JayhawkSD]

8. The spines on a cat's tongue did not evolve for cleaning.

Yes, they undoubtedly serve that purpose, but I seriously doubt that they evolved for that purpose as the article's writer suggests.

The spines on the cat's tongue also are the mechanism which it uses while lapping up water when drinking. Slow motion filming show that the cat is a much more efficient drinker than are animals whose tongue forms a cup. A cat's tongue actually curls backward to bring those spines into play and they bring up water more efficiently than a cupped tongue would do.

More than that, though, those spines are so abrasive that a cat can use them to lick meat off of bones. You know how hard it can be to cut that least little shred of steak off of the bone? A cat can lick it off. My guess would be that this is the main reason they evolved as they did.