Has your cat ever displayed a facial expression that resembles a grimace? Has he sniffed something and then held his mouth in a half-opened position, leaving you to wonder just what was going on in that brain of his?
Cats have a special organ located in the roof of the mouth known as the Jacobson's Organ. It goes between the roof of the mouth and the nasal cavity. The Jacobson's Organ allows the cat to smell and taste a scent. Why would a cat need to do this? For a thorough scent investigation.
When a cat comes across an interesting scent, he flicks the odor up from his tongue to the roof of the mouth. During this investigation process, his facial expression looks like a grimace and is known as a flehmen reaction.
The Jacobson's Organ helps a cat determine the scent originator's sexual availability, gender, and status. This is important during the mating search. It also can help prevent physical confrontations as a cat explores unfamiliar territory.
Cats will also flehmen other interesting scents as well, and it's very likely you've seen your own cat exhibit this behavior around the house.
The Jacobson's Organ is a sensory organ that is not connected with hunting prey, but rather, with social behavior.
For step-by-step information on training and correcting behavior problems, refer to the book, Starting from Scratch.
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