Cross Breeds

Why does my cat open her mouth a little bit...?

Sometimes when my cat smells something, she'll pause & look at me with her mouth just slightly open as if she's out of breath (but not panting). It's about the only time I really ever see her mouth open! She only holds this position for about 5 seconds, then goes back to normal...Why??

Public Comments

1. She is taking in the smell. It is called Flehmening. "The cat draws in air, capturing the scent, and transferring it to a small specialized sac called the 'vomeronasal organ' or 'Jacobson's organ.' This organ is located high up in the roof of the mouth, and has a large blood supply. It traps the odor molecules and sends signals to the brain regarding the scent." http://www.cat-olholics.com/flehmening.html My cat used to do this and I thought it was in response to a bad odor but it actually means they like what they are smelling.
2. I believe it is something they do to really get the smell in
3. Because in the roof of their mouth, they have a little thing called the Jacobs Organ.. They open their mouth and run smells past this Jacobs Organ to get more information on the things that they smell..
4. this is because some cats forget to close their mouths because she is taking in the smell.
5. Cats have a special sense organ in the top of their mouths - your cat is opening her mouth to take a better smell.
6. Yup, she's Flehming, cats aren't the only ones who do it. Read all about it! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flehming Chalice
7. my cat does the same thingshe is just telling you that she smells something or see`s something and wants you to check it out or something like that.