So, are you a pet lover? Do you have pets in your house? You see, if you have cats in your house as your pet, you will know that cats are habituated to do every sort of strange thing.
Yeah, they are quite moody. One of the strange and puzzling behaviors of the cats is sticking their tongue out of their mouth almost every time. You might be wondering: why do cats stick their tongue out

Unlike dogs, cats tend to behave peculiarly. But, you also can’t avoid the fact that no matter what they are behaving, they all seem very cute. Now you know that it is very common for dogs that they always stick out their tongues. It is their own way to keep themselves cool in summer and in other different seasons.
But what is the case with cats? What are the reasons that make cats stick their tongue out? Is it something serious? Do you have to talk to the vet for this reason? No matter what is the reason, it is perhaps the cutest thing the cats are doing.
Before being serious about the fact, you should know: why do cats stick out their tongue? There are actually several reasons why the cats keep doing this almost every time. No worries! You will know everything about the amazing facts of their tongue after reading this article.
Reasons Why the Cats Stick Their Tongue Out- Everything You Should Know
There are amazing cat tongue facts that you must know about.
Do you know? This particular behavior of the cats has a name too on the internet. Cats sticking out their tongue is called Blep nowadays.
Cat sleeping with tongue out looks very cute and you might want to capture the moment by taking a picture of it.
Now come to the biological part. You see, the tongues of the cats are perfectly evaluated for eating, maintaining their health, and grooming. The human tongue is relatively smooth. But the tongue of the cats is made with many little barbs. They are called papillae. These papillae are made in such a way that they curve towards the back and the cats can snare bits of the food and they’re far.

You must agree that you have felt the rough and dry tongue of the cats whenever they licked you.
The reason why the cats have a dry and rough tongue is that the spines of their tongue are covered with keratin.
Now they sticking out the tongue can be due to either some simple and natural reasons, or they might have an undetected health condition.
Therefore, you have to know the simple and natural reasons at first.
- Your cat may be annoyed with the taste and the texture.
It is actually the most common reason. Your cat is sticking its tongue out because it might have irritation with the taste or the texture of something that is plunged in its mouth. It may be some piece of hair or any other unwanted thing.
- May be bits of food is stuck between their teeth.
It becomes very problematic to the cats when some food is stuck between their teeth. That is why they are sticking out their tongues. You must not ignore this issue if you see that your white furball is doing this almost every time. This can lead to a serious health issue for your pet.
- They may have a loosened jaw.
It is the other common reason for the cats sticking out their tongue. This happens when they are asleep. During their sleep, they are actually relaxing and this makes their jaw loosen.
Sometimes, you will see that your cat is drooling & licking frequently. Generally, they are doing this to relax their facial muscles. There is another reason too. Cats are producing a lot of saliva and that is why frequent drooling and licking is normal.
But, if you notice excessive drooling or licking, please consult a vet as this can be due to a serious health issue of your cat.

Cats Sticking Their Tongue Out- Is There Some Serious Health Issues?
Cats sticking their tongues out due to problematic health conditions occur in some special cases. Yes, there can be some health issues with the cat that force it to stick out its tongue frequently.
- There may be some dental issues with your cat. It can be abscess, caries, tooth decay or gum disease.
- The cats can have serious dementia like a normal human being. Frequent sticking out of the tongue can be a sign of this disease.
- This can be a sign of infection too.
- Even a disease like stomatitis can force the cats to stick out their tongues. Never ignore this issue as this can lead to serious ulcer in the cat’s throat, tongue mouth and gums.
Is a cat’s tongue sticking out from periodontal disease? Unfortunately, yes. Some bacterial infections caused by low dental hygiene can also be a reason.
But this is a health issue that you can easily diagnose by consulting a vet and by the oral examination of the cat.
Can There Be Some Respiratory Issues?
Yes, it can be. Actually, cats sticking their tongue out due to respiratory infections can happen several times. You see, cats can have sinus, throat, or nose infections that make them sticking their tongue out of their mouth.
Respiratory issues can lead to the breathing problem of the cats and they are forced to wag their tongue as they are trying to breathe.
Cat Sticking Tongue Out – Symptom of Poisoning
It can be a sign of poisoning too. Your pet cat can be poisoned if they have come in contact with fertilizers, household cleaners like phenyl, or pesticides. Now the vital question is: how do you find out if your cat is poisoned?
Notice the below-mentioned signs in your cat.
- Dizziness
- Breathing difficulty
- Excessive vomiting
- Frequent drooling
- Frequent sticking the tongue out.
I am strongly suggesting you that never avoid if you see such conditions in your cat. Do not try to treat them at home in this situation. Take them to the reputed vet.
FAQs
1.Why do cats stick their tongue out when you scratch them?
When you scratch the cats, it leads to the release of the positive hormones in the cats. It makes the cats really happy. That is why they stick out their tongue at that moment.
2.Does cats stick their tongue out due to different situations?
Yes. Cats can stick out their tongue due to different situations. It can be some simple reasons like lessened jaw while they are asleep or they may be annoyed with the taste of some unwanted things. Also, they can stick out their tongue due to some serious health conditions.
3.Why Do Cats stick their tongues out while traveling?
Like a human being, a cat can have motion sickness while you take them traveling. Therefore, they can stick their tongue out of the mouth.
4.Why do cats stick their tongue out a little bit?
Well, this is because the cat can sense some new fragrances and they are trying to find out from where the fragrance comes from. Actually, these sudden new scents sometimes distract the cats. Therefore they behave like this.

Every animal has its own nature and they behave according to that. Particularly cats are very moody and tend to have the most puzzling behaviors. Sticking out the tongues is one of them of course, but as a cat owner, you have to watch every sign of them to keep them healthy.
Remember, whatever pet you have, they totally depend upon you.
Also Read: Can Cats Have Cinnamon? – What Is The Truth Behind it?