I’ve had my oldest cat for almost 13 years and there’s not a lot that tiny tabby does that surprises or confounds me these days apart from that open-mouth stare.
If you’re a cat owner, you’ll know it. Your usually very lucid cat is suddenly staring at you, mouth agape for around 30 seconds before they seem to break out of this weird glitch and go back to being their furry little selves.
I always assumed it was down to daydreaming but apparently, it’s much more scientific than that.
So, no offence to my sweet cat but the last time she did this, I realised if I didn’t get to the bottom of this mystery, I’d always think she was a little strange and that’s probably not fair on my four legged pensioner.
Finally, I found my answer. According to Charlottesville Cat Care Clinic: “Cats have an extra organ that allows them to taste scents in the air, which is why your cat stares at you with her mouth open from time to time.”
... I still think she’s a little strange, actually. This hasn’t fixed anything.
This is called the Jacobson’s Organ and it is something that all cats have, even lions and tigers. The cat centre revealed: “Cats (along with snakes and also a few other mammals) have a magnificent organ called the vomeronasal organ, most often known as the Jacobson’s organ.
“Wrinkling and lifting its lips enables a cat to open up the ducts to the Jacobson’s organ. [This organ] seems to play a large role in the sense of smell in all wild and domestic cats, no matter their size or species.”
Now I can’t stop picturing a tiger, out in the wild, eyes glazing over and mouth hanging open, just taking in the scent of the air.
Wild.
