Ya know how cats will smell something strange then open their mouth / leave it hanging open?

It’s called the Flehmen response, and while it looks like they’ve just witnessed something truly shocking, they are actually "tasting" the air!

Cats (and many other animals like horses and goats) have a specialized sensory organ called the vomeronasal organ, or Jacobson's organ, located in the roof of their mouth. When they leave their mouth agape like that, they are actually pulling air across those sensory cells to analyze pheromones or strong scents more deeply than they can with a regular sniff.

It’s essentially a high-tech chemical analysis. Usually, they do it when they encounter:

 * Pheromones from other cats.

 * Strong, unfamiliar smells (like a new pair of shoes or a piece of luggage).

 * Intense aromas like certain cleaning products or even some foods.

Next time you see Dusty doing it, just know he’s not judging you—he’s just gathering data!

Would you like to know more about why cats have such a high-powered sense of smell compared to ours?