Question about my tabby cat?

Question

I have a 2 yr old tabby and she's always made this wierd face when she smells something stinky. She finds an interesting smell, studies it and then looks up with her mouth open a little and her touch out. Why does she do this?

yes i meant sticks her tongue out, duh

Answer 1

This is called "flehmen" - it makes them able to retain te scent a little longer. Many animals do it, you might also have seen it in f.i. horses before. They do it especially if they smell anything that contains hormones, f.i. urine, but males will also do it alot around females in heat.
It's completely normal ;)

Answer 2

Cats have a great sense of smell. Both with their nose AND their tongue. They open the mouth to let the 'scent' roll over it and 'taste' it. They do this when they find a smell particularly interesting.

Answer 3

It's called a Flehmen response, they have scent receptors in the roof of their mouth that analyses certain smells.

Several animals have this besides felines. Check out the page below, it shows a tapir and a horse doing the same thing for the same reason.

Answer 4

Its the way she smells things... all cats do that. But I didn't really know that until a friend of mine told me that a few months ago. It is just a funny thing a cat does. Take care.

Answer 5

The tongue is out cause there are scent recepters in the cats mouth and your cat is anylizing the scent.

Answer 6

My cat makes a weird face too when she finds a new smell. What do you mean "her touch out?"

Oh do you mean her tounge out? That is what my cat does

Answer 7

Cats are curious creatures

Answer 8

hmmmmmmmm...what a normal thing that cats do... what do they do it for?? thats the real question. o.0