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Why does your cat’s tongue feel like sandpaper? The roughness comes from tiny, backward-facing structures called papillae. They help the tongue groom fur, while other papillae are associated with taste and food handling. Here are 10 facts about how this unusual organ works—and what changes may warrant a call to your veterinarian.
Why a cat’s tongue feels rough
1. The texture comes from papillae
A cat’s tongue is covered with small projections called papillae. The papillae involved in grooming are keratinized and point backward, toward the throat. Their shape and direction give the tongue its distinctive rough feel.
2. Grooming papillae help lift loose material
As a cat licks its coat, the papillae can catch loose hair, dust, debris, and dry skin. They also help spread saliva and natural conditioning oils through the fur, according to veterinarian Sandra C. Mitchell, DVM, DABVP, in PetMD’s overview of cat tongues.
How the tongue grooms fur
3. The papilla tips are hollow
A 2018 study examined tongues from six cat species, from domestic cats to lions. Using high-speed filming, grooming-force measurements, and computed tomography, the researchers found hollow cavities at the tips of the grooming papillae. These cavities wick saliva from the mouth and release it onto hairs.
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4. Saliva can reach into the fur
The study authors wrote in their 2018 PNAS Significance section: “The papillae wick saliva deep into recesses of the fur, and the flexible base of the papilla permits hairs to be easily removed from the tongue.” The finding helps explain how licking can carry saliva into a coat rather than leaving it only on the surface.
5. Loose hair can end up being swallowed
Because the papillae face backward, loose hairs caught during grooming can move toward the throat and be swallowed. Regular brushing can remove some loose coat hair before it gets caught on the tongue. A brush may be useful for that purpose, but the evidence here does not compare particular products.
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6. Researchers built a tongue-inspired brush prototype
The 2018 study also demonstrated a tongue-inspired grooming brush, called TIGR, based on the structure and flexibility of the papillae. It was a research prototype; the study does not establish it as a retail product.
What else papillae do
7. Not all papillae have the same role
The backward-facing, hollow-tipped papillae studied for grooming are not the only kind on a cat’s tongue. Fungiform papillae are associated with taste, while research on conical papillae describes roles in drinking and food handling. It is more accurate to talk about different papillae and functions than to treat every tongue projection as identical.
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8. Taste-related measurements vary by tongue region
A 1990 study of six adult cats reported about 250 fungiform papillae per tongue, with the papillae most numerous near the tip. The researchers counted a mean of 6.9 taste buds per fungiform papilla at the tip and 16.6 toward the back. Those are measurements from a small study of a particular papilla type—not a definitive count of every taste bud across a cat’s whole tongue.
9. Conical papillae are involved in drinking and swallowing
An anatomy study published in 1998 summarized conical papillae as playing roles in drinking water and milk, mixing food with saliva, moving the food mass toward the pharynx, and swallowing. The study’s summary describes these functions without making them interchangeable with the grooming role of the rear-facing papillae.
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When a tongue change deserves veterinary advice
10. Drooling or a notable change in appearance merits a call
Mitchell’s veterinarian-authored guidance advises contacting a veterinarian about drooling or a tongue that appears inflamed, pale, blue, yellow, swollen, or sore. A cat briefly leaving its tongue out after eating or grooming can be normal, but a new or frequent prolonged tongue-out posture or panting warrants veterinary guidance. These are general signs to discuss with a veterinarian, not a diagnosis.
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Sources
- Robinson, “Quantitative study of fungiform papillae and taste buds on the cat’s tongue,” The Anatomical Record, 1990: PubMed.
- Noel and Hu et al., “Cats use hollow papillae to wick saliva into fur,” PNAS, 2018: Full text.
- Sandra C. Mitchell, DVM, DABVP, “5 Facts About Cat Tongues,” PetMD, August 9, 2023: Article.
- “An investigation into the distributive pattern, classification and functional role of the conical papillae on the posterodorsal surface of the cat tongue using SEM,” Annals of Anatomy, 1998: PubMed.
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