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Related Experiment Videos

Tonguedness in cats.

Michael Reiss1, Gilfe Reiss

  • 1Department of Ear, Nose and Throat, Städtisches Klinikum Görlitz, Germany. reiss@klinikum-goerlitz.de

Perceptual and Motor Skills
|March 9, 2002
PubMed
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Cats exhibit preferential tongue movements, a phenomenon termed "tonguedness," similar to humans. Most cats studied showed a preference for using their right tongue.

Area of Science:

  • Veterinary Neurology
  • Animal Behavior
  • Comparative Psychology

Background:

  • Handedness, or lateralization of motor function, is well-documented in humans.
  • Research into animal motor preferences, including paw preference, is ongoing.
  • The existence and characteristics of tongue preference in non-human animals remain largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the presence and prevalence of preferential tongue movement in domestic cats.
  • To determine if cats exhibit a dominant side for tongue use, analogous to human "tonguedness" or handedness.
  • To provide empirical data on lateralization of oral motor function in felines.

Main Methods:

  • Observation of spontaneous tongue movements in a cohort of domestic cats.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Systematic recording and analysis of tongue protrusion and licking behaviors.
  • Categorization of individual cats based on the observed preferential tongue side.

    • Main Results:

    • A significant proportion of the studied cats displayed a clear preference for tongue movement.
    • 8 out of 11 cats (66.7%) demonstrated right-sided tongue preference.
    • 3 out of 11 cats (33.3%) exhibited left-sided tongue preference, with no cat showing ambidexterity.

    Conclusions:

    • The findings suggest that cats possess a form of "tonguedness," indicating lateralization in tongue motor control.
    • This study provides evidence for preferential tongue use in felines, contributing to the understanding of animal motor asymmetry.
    • Further research is warranted to explore the neurological underpinnings and evolutionary significance of tongue lateralization in cats and other species.