People are ‘disturbed’ when they see what a cat’s tongue looks like up close

Cat lovers know that a lick from your feline friend can feel quite ticklish, even if it’s meant to be affectionate, thanks to their rough tongues.

But now a close-up video of what it actually looks like, originally shared on TikTok by registered Florida vet technician Peter Carlos, has people stunned at just how spiky it is.

The clampwhich now has over 4.1 million views on X, formerly known as Twitter, showed how a cat’s tongue is covered in backward-facing spines known as papillae.

If your cat has tried to groom you, you’ve probably noticed these papillae pressing roughly against your skin.

But why is a cat’s tongue covered in these backward-facing spines?

First, it is an efficient way for the hunter to remove meat from bones while getting the most nutrients quickly and effectively, according to Cat protection.

Thanks to the papillae, cats do not have to dip their heads in a water bowl, they can quickly dip their tongue back and forth into the liquid while the papillae draw the water up from the surface.

The small points also form the perfect comb, with cats often using their tongue to groom their coat.

The backward-facing alignment of the points allows a cat’s tongue to easily dust away any loose fur and dirt.

The backward-facing spines on a cat’s tongue help it extract the meat from a bone, while getting the most nutrients, in the most quick and efficient way

A cat’s tongue plays a key role in allowing the solitary animal to live independently and without fuss.

But not everyone was familiar with the spines that run across the animal’s tongue, and many people flooded the comments section of the viral video to express their disgust.

‘It’s disturbing up close. And my cat loves to lick me, especially my hair,” one shocked cat owner wrote.

Another wondered: ‘Are those papillary hooks made of bone? Are they like teeth?’

A third fumed: “Another reason to hate cats!”

“Great, so my cat tries to eat me in the middle of the night and lick my bones clean,” one user joked.

People on X, formerly known as Twitter, expressed their shock at the spiky texture of a cat’s tongue

One joker commented, “I was just thinking about how we would feel if we had teeth on our tongues too. Dental insurance would have been quite expensive back then.”

But not everyone was panicked by the creepy-looking tongue, with one pet owner adding: ‘My cat has a habit of licking my nose every morning. Best exfoliating treatment ever.’

Another said: ‘That’s why it feels tingly when my cat licks my arm.’

“Cats are really great hunters,” one cat lover noted, adding, “It’s fascinating how they have evolved to extract every morsel efficiently.”