Why Does My Cat Have A Belly Pouch?

5 Normal Anatomic Peculiarities as told by fourth year veterinary student, Hung Vu

Most cat owners notice their companion’s long whiskers and many know that cats use them as sensors to navigate their environment. But have you ever noticed the swinging abdominal pouch and wondered if all cats had that? What about the texture of your cat’s tongue?

Here are five anatomic findings that might be mistaken for abnormal:

1. Rough Tongue

If you look closely at a cat’s tongue, you may notice little barbs pointing backwards into the mouth which give it a rough texture. Rough tongues are useful for grooming, but also to help secure and ingest prey. So if your cat grooms you and it feels like sandpaper rubbing on you, there is no need to fret! That is just her way of taking care of you.

Fun fact: The barbs are called filiform papillae and are made of keratin, the same substance that makes up hair and nails.

1. Tapetum Lucidum

Although it may sound like a spell, the tapetum lucidum is the reflection seen at the back of your cat’s eyes. If you shine a flashlight or take a flash photo of your cat, you may notice your cat’s eyes captured as green or yellow reflections (or blue for young kittens). Light reflects off the tapetum lucidum and gives the optic nerve a second chance to capture the image, enhancing vision at night.

1. Third Eyelid

Look again at your cat’s eyes. At the inner corner you might see a thin membrane called the third eyelid or nictitating membrane. The third eyelid is there to protect the globe by covering it when the globe retracts into the socket. The other function of the third eyelid is to produce tears. Asymmetry, redness, swelling, and discharge may be signs of disease.

1. Ear Pocket

Astute owners might notice a pocket or pouch on the outer edge of their cat’s ears. This is called a cutaneous marginal pouch. It is analogous to the human earlobe and lots of animals have it. Its purpose is unknown, but some believe it helps animals move their ears in different directions to better locate sounds.

1. Belly Pooch

Also referred to as a primordial pouch, many people believe your kitty’s pooch is to allow the abdomen to expand when they eat a large meal. More pronounced sagging may be noticed after spaying or neutering a cat or after the cat has lost a significant amount of weight, but these are not causes of the belly pooch. Luckily, cats are not self-conscious about their skin and there is no need to treat their belly pooch.

From Dr Marcus Brown –  the latest theory is that cat’s evolved with this pouch as protection.  If they are bitten on the stomach, the pouch offers extra protection.

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