Cats have spines on their tongues because they need to separate the meat from the bones

The spines on cats’ tongues are inherited from their ancestors. The barbs on cats’ tongues have many functions. The barbs on cats' tongues are there to help them pick the flesh from the bones or skin of their prey. It is difficult for the claws of cats to pick off the meat attached to the bones of prey, so the barbs of the cat's tongue are needed to assist in this function.

Cats have barbs on their tongues because they love to be clean

Cats are animals that care very much about their own cleanliness. Their tongues are also the only tool used to clean their hair. The spines on their tongues are the combs that cats use to comb their hair. The animal world is full of all kinds of smells that humans can't smell. For all kinds of animals, smell is what they rely on to mark their territory and attract the opposite sex. The same is true for cats. In the past, cats lived in the wild in order to prevent themselves from being tracked by the world. It continuously licks the scent off its body to prevent predators from tracking it through its scent. Today's domestic cats have also inherited this habit and keep themselves clean at all times.

The cat’s tongue has barbs because it drinks more water

The barbs on a cat’s tongue allow the cat to allow more water to adhere to the barbs when the tongue touches the water and is withdrawn. Dogs will spill water everywhere when they drink water, but cats will not spill water everywhere when they drink water. This is because of the barbs on the cat's tongue. The contact area between the tongue and water is increased, thereby increasing the amount of water you can drink each time you stick out your tongue.

The barbs on a cat’s tongue can also increase the risk for cats

Although the barbs on a cat’s tongue can increase the cat’s survival rate in the wild, the linear papillae on the tongue can also cause big trouble for the cat itself. If a cat encounters a ball of wool with exposed thread ends, the thorns on the tongue will cause big trouble for the cat. The wool will become entangled on the tongue. The cat will do whatever it takes to get the thread ends off the tongue, even scratching its own Mouth and tongue.