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Your Cat's Tongue Is Covered In Tiny Hollow Hooks

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cat tongue · why is a cat tongue rough · cat tongue papillae · cat facts · cat grooming · animal science

The real science

A cat's tongue is covered in hundreds of stiff, backward-curving spines made of keratin, and each one has a hollow scoop at the tip. The scoops soak up saliva and carry it through the fur to the skin, which cleans and cools the cat. Because every hook points toward the throat, a chewed string gets pulled in instead of spat out, so keep string, yarn, thread and tinsel where your cat can't reach them.

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