Cat Lapping

This scientist clearly hasn’t enough to do, he has studied how cats drink. He also notes that they do it differently to dogs.

They found that cats use their tongues to delicately draw up water without breaking the surface of the liquid.

The scientists, who published their study in the journal Science, say this differs from dogs, who employ a messy scooping action to quench their thirst.

Anyone who has observed cats drinking will have noticed their delicacy. Likewise anyone who has observed dogs drinking will have learned to keep their distance in future.

The usual Dog about the Town is much inclined to play the clown,
And far from showing too much pride is frequently undignified.

T.S. Eliot

Well, quite… We knew this, didn’t we?

The mechanism, though is fascinating:

The scientists found that the tip of the cat’s tongue curls backwards, not forwards, as it darts down towards its bowl.

Then, instead of penetrating the surface of the liquid, the tongue just lightly touches it.

Dr Stocker explains: “The fluid comes in contact with the tongue and sticks to it, then the action of the tongue being drawn upwards very rapidly creates a liquid column.”

“Then, by closing its jaw, the cat captures part of that liquid.”

You learn something new every day.

“I would say cats know more about fluid mechanics than dogs,” he added.

In my experience, they know more about everything than dogs – including how to dominate dogs.