For the past few weeks, Miss Kitty has been having what looks like a stinky face when she walks by Tommy. Most days Miss Kitty walks by Tommy, smells him then sits w/her mouth open and this face that says:{ Stinky face} I think Miss Kitty is grossed out by Tommy`s smell now, and he don`t stink, so what`s up w/Miss Kitty and this stinky face ever time she smells him? I hope she`s not smelling illness in him, do you think?
I'm laughing right now! Don't get me wrong, NOT at the possibility of Tommy being sick but I personally don't think that is the case. BOTH of our cats have made this same face (if I'm picturing it right lol...) after they smell something (would be interesting to see a picture if you could capture it). They don't ALWAYS do it but on certain occasions they have smelled something and then opened their mouth as if to breathe in the smell to figure out what it is. It's HILLARIOUS to see and I'm no expert so I don't claim to know WHY they do this.
Hopefully David will see this and shed some light since he's had so many babies. Linda have you seen this also?
Maybe you have not watched multiple cats closely before. While I hesitate to say out loud that cats can sometimes be like dogs, it IS true that they pay attention to scent. Is she grimacing at the scent, or just sneering at him because she is more dominant? They often re-assert pecking order each time they come in contact.
Hi there, Fish, Bobbie & Rex! OK. I have to add my two cents. My bunch are like the dogs that 911Rex spoke about. My cats are butt-sniffers. A dog will come up and do that to YOU, but my kitties do that to each other. I don't know if it is part of the recognition process or what. I find myself frequently scolding and saying, "Don't sniff his butt! It's not polite." The younger bunch do that more often than the older ones. There is no apparent odor, but my nose is not anywhere near as good as the sniffer on cats and dogs.
The only time I thought my previous cat Nutmeg smelled bad, it was from awful breath and it turned out to be a tooth abcess. Fish, if you think Tommy smells "off" or that there might be some sort of illness, then take the cat to the Vet for a check up.
What your cat is doing is called Flehming. Look it up online. It is a natural response often associated with unneutered males and unspayed females. That said, all of my cats are neutered and spayed, but if they find something interesting, they exhibit flehming. It allows more access to olfactory (smelling) cells so that the cat can get a "better idea" of whatever it is that he finds interesting. Horses do it also, both in response to different smells, sexual behavior and sometimes when they are sick.
Ldybug you have me laughing so hard. You hit it right on. I didn`t want to say it, in fear I might break ebay rules.
But "Miss Kitty" is a butt-sniffer. Tommy runs everytime . He most of the time is walking around w/his tale up and being a happy little boy. Then Miss Kitty comes out of no where and goes right fur the goods, so to speak. Tommy and Miss Kitty have been fixed. Tommy don`t stink,but I have never given him a bath. Where Miss Kitty jumps in the shower everyday w/me. I don`t put soap on her,but she likes the water to drip on her back, and then she licks the water off.
But Miss Kitty has been doing this b-s`ing on Tommy for about a 3 weeks or so. Could it be because of them kittens that were under the house? I mean that did get Miss Kitty acting wired...
I don't know if Flehming is what's going on with Fish's cat but it is EXACTLY what was going on with mine! I looked it up and saw a picture of a cat doing it....TOO FUNNY! The definition (as you mentioned) said that it usually occurs when a cat smells urine or one that is in heat but that it can happen with all sorts of smells. My cats are/were fixed and it wasn't urine, mostly it was when they smelled my husband or myself especially if we had been out and about. Anyway thanks for that info! Hubby will also be glad to know!
As for B-sniffing, my cats did that on occasion too, I believe it's just to make sure that they are in the right company, as if to say...."Oh ok...I know you"....LOL!!!!
And now I'm the one who can't stop laughing! Particularly because I have a friend with the last name of Fleming, and now I will have to tease him about that. I looked at the "Flehming" films at You Tube, and the gesture is different from what my boys are doing to each other. All of these guys are neutered. All are three years old or less. They are not curling the lips nor opening the mouth, but they are simply walking up, sticking their snoot in an inappropriate place, pausing for a second and then moving on. With eight of theem, maybe it is just recognition, like Bobbie says. With so many, perhaps they get confused, but can figure out who is who once they get a whiff. LOL!
Oh, my Ldybug You have once again made my laugh so much. Your so funny, I love your humor!
I ask the vet today and he said Miss Kitty does it because she likes Tommy and looks up to him. She wants to be a good friend to Tommy, but I think he would like her to find another way of showing her love.
Now my Chow Chow sniffs our two cats butts. And we say "No Sniffing!" and she stops...for a minute. And she will actually sniff and push them along with her nose. The cats couldn't care less if she is doing it. She loves "her cats." But it's darn embarrassing.
I love the info here ( Thanks for naming the act called "Flehming"... dunno if I spelled it right but I'll only have to say it in the future so who cares LOL! )
My only concern here is that you said the behavior is new (about 3 weeks)... changes in cat behavior can be very significant. Tommy may indeed have dental/gum problems, but not so far along as to cause him pain / to chew oddly / be off his food, so you wouldn't notice. Ditto for oral odor, our noses aren't as efficient as kitty noses. Your vet advice was probably right, and bless you for going to the vet, but many college vet depts will be happy to answer questions too, so talk to as senior an instructor / vet as you can for a(usually free) second opinion. One of our Illinois Vet Colleges regularly does radio show re: pet health .
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