If you have seen it happen, you’ve probably wondered what it was: the blep. This term refers to the tip of a cat’s tongue sticking out of their mouth. There seems to be no real reason for this behavior, but it looks adorable and kind of silly. The term “blep” isn’t a scientific word. It was made up on the internet and has caught on so well that most people know what it means by now. But what would cause a cat to do this? Do they know that they’re doing it? In this article, we look at a few reasons that cats blep and what you need to know about this cute and curious action.
The 11 Possible Reasons Cats Blep
1. They Forgot That Their Tongue Was Out
Did you interrupt your cat’s grooming session or dinner? They may look up at you with their tongue hanging out, having not realized that it was happening! If the blep is repeated quickly, they may be attempting to remove something from their tongue. This could be a food that they don’t like or a hair that got stuck.
2. They’re Relaxed
When cats are feeling relaxed, they relax their entire body. This includes their jaw. They may loosen their jaw enough for the tip of the tongue to slip out while they’re sleeping. This is perfectly normal and not a cause for concern. If you see your cat sleeping comfortably and they are blepping, you know that they’re getting a quality nap.
3. They’re Missing Teeth
A tongue may be more likely to slip out of a cat’s mouth if they don’t have all their front teeth, particularly their canine teeth, although this is not as commonly noticed in cats as it is in dogs. Teeth help keep your cat’s tongue in place, and if some are gone, the tongue can slip out more easily without your cat even noticing.
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4. They Have a Flat Face
In breeds with flat faces, such as Persians, cats have small mouths with little room inside of them. It’s not uncommon for their tongues to stick out a little more often.
5. They’re Hot
When cats overheat, they regulate their body temperatures through the pads of their feet and their tongues. If your cat is hot, try to help them by cooling them down. Move them into the shade, bring them into the air conditioning, and consult a vet immediately if any signs of heat stroke occur. These may include panting or open-mouth breathing, which indicates a life-threatening emergency in cats. Signs also include drooling, heavy breathing, vomiting, weakness, disorientation, trouble walking, collapse, increased heart rate, changes in gum color, and a body temperature of over 105°F.
6. They’re Analyzing a New Scent
When cats explore their environment, they use all their senses. The Flehmen response is what may look like cats “tasting the air.” They use their vomeronasal organ, located in the nasal cavity opening up into the roof of their mouths, to take note of the air around them and identify scents. They’re also detecting signals from other cats, like pheromones left from spraying or scratching.
Scents are left behind by other cats to mark their territories. Cats have a good way of detecting these. If your cat is indoors, they may be using the Flehmen response to check out new and unfamiliar scents you bring in on your shoes and clothes to get an idea of where you’ve been and which animals you’ve come in contact with. Blepping can appear very similar to Flehmen response, although a cat’s mouth will be open while it’s happening, and they will appear to have a grimace.
Image Credit: Pixabay
7. They Have Something Stuck in Their Teeth
If you’ve ever seen a cat struggle to remove something in their teeth, you know that it can be a process. In the middle of this act, your cat may just take a moment to relax before trying again, leaving their tongue out of their mouth.
The next time that you see your cat blepping, notice if they seem to be struggling with something stuck in their teeth or mouth. Gently and carefully check their mouth, if they allow you to do so, and be careful not to get bitten. Pawing at the mouth can be a sign of dental disease, pain, or a foreign body, so it’s worth getting your cat checked by the vet if you think this may be the case.
8. They Have Dental Disease
Even if your cat has all their teeth, those teeth could be covered in plaque. If the gums become inflamed because of plaque buildup, leading to gingivitis, this can cause redness, pain, bleeding, swelling of the gum and periodontitis, or sometimes even tooth root abscesses and resorption. It generally becomes painful for cats to chew properly and close their mouths comfortably, and their tongue may slip out more noticeably.
If you notice that your cat seems to be in pain while blepping, it’s time to bring them to the vet for an exam. Other signs of dental disease in cats include bad breath, drooling, reduced appetite, awkward chewing or chewing to one side, preference of wet food over dry, bleeding from the gums, or anything else out of the ordinary.
9. They’ve Been Exposed to a Toxin
Cats sticking their tongues out combined with drooling, vomiting, retching, or neurological signs, such as disorientation and wobbliness, may mean they’ve been poisoned. Even if you’re not sure that your cat came in contact with anything dangerous, head to the vet if they’re exhibiting this behavior.
Common toxins to cats include:
Bleach
Antifreeze
Disinfectants
Dog flea and tick medications
Lilies
Ibuprofen or acetaminophen
Onions
Garlic
Grapes
Xylitol
Alcohol
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10. They Are Feeling Nauseous
Cats, like people, can get sick when they’re traveling in a car or plane. Blepping during travel is a way for them to try to deal with the feeling of motion sickness that they are experiencing. The blepping should stop once the traveling is over and the cat is stationary again, but it may also lead to vomiting. Cats that are nauseous due to an underlying health issue, such as a stomach upset, toxin exposure, or organ system disease, may also blep, drool, and vomit and will need to see a vet.
11. Other Medical Problems
There are many possible reasons why your cat’s tongue may be sticking out, and unfortunately, some of them are more concerning than others. Besides dental disease, cats could be suffering with injuries or ulcers in their mouth, foreign bodies, or cancerous lumps, all of which may cause them pain and discomfort while trying to close their mouth, chew, and swallow.
Cats that experience a road traffic accident can have an injury to their lower jaws that makes it impossible for them to fully close the mouth, leaving their tongue sticking out. They may bleed or drool, have broken or missing teeth, and have other signs of trauma on their face or other parts of the body.
Cats with respiratory difficulties will breathe fast or struggle to breathe in the first place and may breathe with an open mouth, which resembles panting in dogs. This is a life-threatening emergency and needs urgent veterinary attention.
Is This Normal Behavior?
Overall, blepping can be completely normal. Your cat may be distracted and forget to replace their tongue, or they are trying to identify a new scent in the air. A cat blepping while sleeping is a truly relaxed cat. The tongue slips out of the loosened jaw, showing you that your cat is fully asleep and resting. If your cat bleps after eating, this is also not a cause for concern. Food can be stuck on the tongue or in the teeth, and your cat is just trying to remove it. The times when blepping would signify something more serious are when the behavior:
Is constant and does not stop or repeats often
Is accompanied by vomiting, retching, drooling, bad breath, difficulty chewing or swallowing, pawing at the mouth, reduced appetite, dizziness, or weakness
Is due to open mouth breathing – this is a life-threatening emergency that needs immediate veterinary attention
If you’re concerned about your cat’s mouth health or think that a medical issue may be occurring, bring your cat to the vet for a checkup. If the cat gets a clean bill of health, the blepping is nothing to worry about.
Image Credit: Annette Meyer, Pixabay
Conclusion
There are several possible reasons that cats blep. While most of them mean nothing is out of the ordinary and this is a normal cat behavior, a few reasons can be signs of an underlying health problem. Usually, cat blepping is a cute thing cats do that can entertain us and make for adorable photos. If you notice any other behavior, though, such as vomiting, drooling, or dizziness, take your cat to the vet right away. Otherwise, you can enjoy this cute feline action and know that your cat is just being a cat.
Conclusion
Conclusion
