Why Does My Cat Open His Mouth

Generally, cats are fun to be with; you can play with them from time to time. But most importantly, your cat can also be your source of entertainment. Watching your cat climbing pieces of furniture, rolling on its back, and chasing smaller creatures like bugs can be entertaining. There are also times when your cat will open his mouth, and you might wonder, why does my cat open his mouth?

Cats keep their mouths open for a while to analyze the smell or scent they perceive. This strange behavior in cats is called a Flehmen reaction or Flehmen response.

Now that you have known the main reason your cat keeps his mouth open for a prolonged period, you may also have various questions related to Flehmen’s reaction. Let’s dive in and shed more light on everything the Flehmen reaction or response entails. 

What is Flehmen Reaction?

Flehmen’s reaction or response is a unique behavior displayed by some mammals, such as cats, to analyze an interesting smell. 

Generally, the ability to smell things from a distance is one of the essential qualities of a cat. All cats can analyze the smell of food from a distance, and they will locate it even if it is hidden. The reason is that they have more scent receptors than humans.

Cats often make the analysis of smell easy for themselves by opening their mouth for a deep sniff. This deep and prolonged sniff will take air through the cat’s mouth to a special smell-analyzing organ known as the Jacobson’s organ or vomeronasal organ. 

The Flehmen reaction you observe in your cat’s expression does not solely depend on smelling alone. The tasting of the scent also plays a significant role in helping the cat analyze the smell.

When your cat comes across a fragrance, it opens its mouth in a “wow! What’s that smell” expression; the scent will collect in its mouth. The smell is then conveyed to the specialized organ known as the Jacobson’s organ or vomeronasal organ, located on the roof of the cat’s mouth. 

The face cats make during Flehman’s reaction is a joke that can make you laugh. Moreover, many jokes have been made about the Flehmen reaction. The expression cats make due to the Flehman response has been given various terms. The most prominent names are “grumpy” or “making the stinky face” expressions.

Why Does My Cat Open Their Mouth When I Pet Them?

They do that to get a better whiff of your body’s unique smell. 

Cats, as previously stated, have a great sense of smell. They can smell things from a greater distance than humans because they have more smell receptors than humans. They often analyze any intriguing smell present in their environment by keeping their mouth open longer than usual. When you pet them, they also display this behavior, known as Flehmen’s reaction. Hence, hostility is not what your cat portrays when it opens its mouth when you are petting it. 

Sometimes your cat may keep its mouth open—Flehman response—when you are petting or playing with it. It often occurs when you have rubbed another cat or dog; your cat is trying to play the role of a detective by analyzing the smell on your hand. In most cases, you will hear your cat make a “gentle meow” after discovering the scent’s source.

If My Cat Opens Its Mouth For An Extended Time, Can It Be Related To Health Issues? 

Yes! Although cats keep their mouth open to analyze scents, it may also be due to health issues rather than a Flehmen reaction.

Dental pain and cat flu are serious health problems. They are discomforting and painful to cats. Sometimes, your cat may be holding its mouth open to prevent its teeth from making contact due to dental pain. The mouth pain a cat experiences may be due to the following causes:

• Stomatitis
• Gingivitis

Stomatitis

One of the most typical dental problems in animals, including cats, is gingivitis, caused by the accumulation of plaque on the teeth. It can lead to a more painful problem known as periodontal disease. The symptoms of gingivitis are inflammation of the gums, bad breath, lethargy, and pain while eating. 

Gingivitis

Stomatitis, commonly known as feline chronic gingivostomatitis or feline stomatitis, is another common cause of dental problems in animals, including cats. Stomatitis is a chronic and painful inflammation of the gums.

The primary cause of stomatitis is unknown, and its symptoms are drooling, red gums that bleed, difficulty in eating, and bad breath. Lastly, the recommended treatment for stomatitis is tooth extraction to relieve your cat from the pain and discomfort it experiences.

Cat Flu 

As the name implies, cat flu is a severe health problem in cats. Cat flu will alter the function of your cat’s respiratory system. Thus, your cat will experience shortness of breath and often keep its mouth open to get adequate oxygen. 

Trouble breathing (shortness of breath) 

Generally, cat flu has negative impacts on your cat’s respiratory system and causes shortness of breath. However, other health problems can cause trouble breathing in your cat, and they include the following:

• Lung disease
• Heart disease
• FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) Chest injury 

These health problems will result in shortness of breath, forcing your cat to get its oxygen through its mouth. Thus, you will find your cat’s mouth open for an extended period. It is, however, advisable to visit your vet to diagnose the best treatment for your cat’s condition as fast as possible.

The reason is that any delay could escalate the health issues, which may lead to your cat being put on oxygen. 

Could stress be a reason my cat keeps its mouth open? 

Yes! Stress and anxiousness keep a cat’s mouth open more than usual. 

Stress is not only an enemy of humans but also cats. But they respond to stress and anxiousness differently. When your cat feels stressed out, it will keep its mouth open for an extended period to calm itself and maintain its increased respiratory rate.

The stress your cat experiences may be due to various reasons like threat and invasion of their territory by another cat. 

The other significant cause of a cat’s stress is heat. Heat often makes cats pants; hence, they keep their mouth open longer than usual.

The way cats pant is not similar to dogs’, but they both achieve similar purposes with their panting. Cats, like dogs, often pant during hot weather to lower their body temperature. Therefore, it is advisable always to keep your cat in a cool environment during summer and ensure the water you give them is not warm. 

In conclusion

Cats are beautiful pets that one can spend hours observing because they are also entertaining to watch. Sometimes, you will find your cat’s mouth opened for an extended period. It is sometimes due to health issues like dental pains and breathing problems. But in most cases, it results from Flehmen’s reaction, whereby your cat analyzes unique scents in its surroundings.