I have to get a picture of this one day!

sbw999 · Jan 9, 2006

Sometimes my cats will get a whiff of something outside on the ground, or on the carpet, or on the linoleum. They smell it for a few seconds and then they lift their heads up, and their mouth opens a tiny bit, making a face like they are disgusted. Whenever me or my kids see this, it cracks us right up because of the face they make. Someone once told me that they are sensing a smell through a special gland in or near their pallet, and it is normal for them to do this, to make that type of face. But IMO it is hilarious looking. I can never get a pic of it because you almost never know when they are going to do it

Does anybody know exactly what that behavior is? Or does anybody have a pic of their cat doing this?

lndscpsam · Jan 9, 2006

Originally Posted by sbw999

Sometimes my cats will get a whiff of something outside on the ground, or on the carpet, or on the linoleum. They smell it for a few seconds and then they lift their heads up, and their mouth opens a tiny bit, making a face like they are disgusted. Whenever me or my kids see this, it cracks us right up because of the face they make. Someone once told me that they are sensing a smell through a special gland in or near their pallet, and it is normal for them to do this, to make that type of face. But IMO it is hilarious looking. I can never get a pic of it because you almost never know when they are going to do it

Does anybody know exactly what that behavior is? Or does anybody have a pic of their cat doing this?

It's actually a common behavior in cats. I have not ever seen my 2 kitties do it, but I have seen it before. Yes it is hilarious!!!

katl8e · Jan 9, 2006

It is called "flehming" (sp?). Cats have an organ, in the roofs of their mouths, that helps them smell.

leto86 · Jan 9, 2006

My cats do it mostly when they smell the catbox right after a different oone goes pee in it.. or when they smell each others butts

I can try getting one

menagerie mama · Jan 9, 2006

I call it "stink face!"

leto86 · Jan 9, 2006

Originally Posted by menagerie mama

I call it "stink face!"

I call it the Stink or Stinky Face too

I personally like the face they make when they smell something they don't like, and they pull back and squint. they look like they are offended by it

gardenandcats · Jan 10, 2006

Its common in cats when they smell something really interesting they open their mouths like that as they can smell better and get a better whiff of whats interesting them. All my Siamese cats do that daily.

evnshawn · Jan 10, 2006

Originally Posted by Leto86

I personally like the face they make when they smell something they don't like, and they pull back and squint. they look like they are offended by it

Me too. Cats don't like citrus, and Skittles really lets you know. If you give him a smell of orange, he squinches his eyes and backs way up, then looks at you like you're a supreme ass for doing that to him. Too funny.

laureen227 · Jan 10, 2006

Originally Posted by gardenandcats

Its common in cats when they smell something really interesting they open their mouths like that as they can smell better and get a better whiff of whats interesting them. All my Siamese cats do that daily.

the big cats [lions, tigers, etc] do this, too - i've seen them on nature shows. i've seen mine flehming, but it's usually over too quickly for me to snap a pic.

yosemite · Jan 10, 2006

Bijou and Mika both do this as well, particularly if I come home and have the smell of another animal on me from being at the pet store.

darkeyedgirl · Jan 10, 2006

I call it the "Smell Face". I love it! Hammie does it the most, he sniffs just about everything, from heater vents, to the other cats' butts, to something weird on the floor, to the window panes.

sbw999 · Jan 10, 2006

I had it!!!! But it blurred

I took 9 pics, and then he did it, but when I downloaded it it was the only pic that was blurry!

Im gonna get this on film if it kills me

tari · Jan 10, 2006

Originally Posted by evnshawn

Me too. Cats don't like citrus, and Skittles really lets you know. If you give him a smell of orange, he squinches his eyes and backs way up, then looks at you like you're a supreme ass for doing that to him. Too funny.

Tailer does the same thing with anything he doesn't like. He always wants to sniff anything you've got, then gets mad when it's something he doesn't like. But then he'll come back and ask to smell the same thing again...gets the same squinchy face again...then gives you the same "you're an ass" look again. (Did he think it would be any different?)

Forest is the only one of mine I've seen flehming...and it's too funny. He's got CH, and gets intention tremors, so the open-mouthed express is usually accompanied by a bobbling head.

abbycats · Jan 10, 2006

I saw a documentary on the big cats, and why they do this is because they are analyzing the smell. All cats do that from the little ones to the magestic lions!

sbw999 · Jan 10, 2006

Forest is the only one of mine I've seen flehming...and it's too funny. He's got CH, and gets intention tremors, so the open-mouthed express is usually accompanied by a bobbling head.[/quote]

"so the open-mouthed express is usually accompanied by a bobbling head".

O Lord, I feel bad for your kitty, but that look with a bobbling head just would put me right on the floor

MoochNNoodles · Jan 10, 2006

Noodles did that when I came home the other day after having weenie sit in my lap at my co-workers party. She did look kinda mad at me.

I have to get a picture of this one day!

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