Photo © E (The Vowels)
Cats do not use their molars to grind the meat they depend on to survive; indeed, their molars are flattened and pointed, to act as a sort of scissors for cutting their catch into bits small enough to swallow.
Raw feeding devotees claim that this ripping, tearing action with raw meat chunks is an excellent way to keep cats' teeth clean and free from decay. Those folks who don't care to feed their cats raw should make every effort to help care for their cats' valuable teeth. Neglect can lead not only to dental decay, but to painful and dangerous mouth conditions.
Like every other part of our favorite pets, kitty's tongue development was not by chance, but is a marvelous example of the form and function of a cat. A cat's tongue is "barbed" with thousands of tiny mounds. These barbs allow kitty to lick off small pieces of meat, and (very important) to groom himself.
Watch your cat the next time he drinks water, whether it's out of a bowl or the faucet. You'll see that his tongue curls down, conveniently throwing the water into his mouth, not up, which would toss it into his face. This picture demonstrates that ability beautifully. Photo © Toni McClelland. Have you ever tried to curl your tongue down like a cat does? Bet you can't do it!
The Flehman Response
All felines have a special organ at the top of their mouth called the vomeronasal or Jacobson's Organ. That "James Cagney" look you sometimes see on your cat when his upper lip lifts and his nostrils twitch is called the Flehman Response, or just plain Flehman and he's using his Jacobson's Organ to sniff out something: a potential mate (a female in oestrus), a strange cat in his territory, or an unusual odor. (Cats aren't the only animals with a Jacobson's Organ. They're also found in snakes and some bats, as well as other mammals.)