Why Do Cats Open Their Mouth To Smell & Communicate?
Cats interact with the world around them through their powerful sense of smell. But unlike dogs, cats don’t default to nose-to-the-ground sniffing and snuffling. Instead, sometimes, when they smell something especially interesting, they’ll draw back their lips, wrinkle their muzzles, and open their mouths into a strange sneering or grimacing expression.
Cats open their mouth to smell because of the Flehmen response, says Dr. Joanna Woodnutt, a veterinarian at Petlearnia. “[This response] is a p