Cross Breeds

do the mouths of your cats ever get stuck open?

Haha I don't know how to describe it. My parents refer to it as "lockjaw." I don't think it's anything wrong with the cat because it only happens once in a while & all 3 of our cats have done it. Sometimes our cat just walks in a room, pauses, & stares blankly into space or at someone's face with their mouth slightly open & stuck. Usually it lasts a few seconds and then the cat snaps out of it & closes their mouth & continues walking or playing. Why does this happen & does it happen to anyone else's cats? It sort of looks like the cat is making a very fake smile. You can see their teeth & the mouth is completely frozen like this.

Public Comments

1. I don't know of my cats ever experiencing Lockjaw", but I know my cats both have a tendency to yawn for long periods oftime, same with my dogs.
2. There is actually a scenting gland at the top of their mouth, they are smelling/scenting something. All cats do it.
3. It means that the cat is taking in and processing a smell or scent. A cat's ability to detect and identify scents is enhanced by a special feature called the vomero-nasal or Jacobson's organ. It's a narrow passage the leads from the roof of their mouth to a small receptacle above the upper jaw that is lined with sensory cells. When a cats finds an unusual or an interesting scent it opens its mouth slightly, catches the scent on their tongue, then they flick it back to the Jacobson's organ, and then it's transmitted to the brain. When a cat does this it may take a distinctive stance, stretch its neck, wrinkle its nose, or even curl its upper lip. This gesture is called 'flehmening', which is most common in females during heat, or when a cat smells catnip. Other animals flehmen, too such as horses and tapirs. Pictures: http://maxshouse.com/Illustrations/vomeronasal.jpg http://www.peteducation.com/images/articles/9697flehmen.jpg http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/1009/50216536.JPG
4. That's not lockjaw. What you're describing is the use of their Jacobsons organ, which is inside the roof of the mouth and is used for sensitive smell identification.