Our cats do this unusual thing when sniffing unusual smells. They hold their mouth open and it looks like their breathing through their mouth for a few seconds.
I know it's unusual for cats to breathe through their mouth, so do you think this is what their doing?
2007-08-04 15:24:48 · 10 answers · asked by jesskar21 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
i think it helps them smell by there toungue, or they are "tasting" the air for something they think they smell that's good
2007-08-04 15:27:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you see your cat breathing with it's mouth open, he is probably just trying to smell something a little bit better. Cat's have this organ in the back of their mouths that can detect smell. My 2 cats they look crazy when they do it. Like mouthbreathers. Ha.
2007-08-04 15:36:45 · answer #2 · answered by Carrie S 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Scent:
Cats have a volmeronasal olfactory system, more commonly known as the Jacobson’s Organ. This pair of canals is lined with olfactory cells and leads into the hard palate. Impulses travel here first, and then to the brain. The cat will exhibit a Flehmen response to certain odors. It will raise its lips, open its mouth slightly, and wrinkle its nose to allow the scent to pass into the canals. This behavior is more commonly seen in male tomcats. It is also seen most frequently when exploring urine scents or females in estrus. Scent marking has been found to be related to dominance status or rank among cats.
2007-08-04 15:48:33 · answer #3 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
I've seen cats like that, sometimes the have a chronic nose infection (common cold) and sometimes they just don't keep their mouth completely closed. They start drooling as well :-P If your cat behaves normal than you shouldn't worry about it. Otherwise let a vet check him out.
2016-05-18 02:37:26 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, cats can breathe through their mouths. They do so when extremely stressed out, or when using a specialized sort of scent-receptor in the roof of the mouth.
2007-08-04 16:02:55 · answer #5 · answered by carleegresham 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My cats don't open their mouths. They do this funny thing with their nose. They wiggle it up and down and left and right. They smell everything like my new clothes and stuff. I don't think I was any help, srry!
2007-08-04 15:30:03 · answer #6 · answered by She Who Will Not Be Named 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When cats do that they are actually enhancing there smell, thay have little smell receptors in the mouth that helps hunt for pray
2007-08-04 15:27:48 · answer #7 · answered by comrad_420 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
yeah they can breathe through the mouth. My cat pants when he's hot.
2007-08-04 15:28:14 · answer #8 · answered by Pandora 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The are not breathing at that time: they are tasting. Particularly essences or hormones from other pets.
2007-08-04 15:28:10 · answer #9 · answered by Lis 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
a cat's respiratory system functions like a human's respiratory system......exactly like it
2007-08-04 15:27:45 · answer #10 · answered by ☺ . CIEL . ☺ 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋