Internet Baffled by Cat's Bizarre Noises in Viral Video: 'Hunting'

Cats are strange and unpredictable animals that surprise us on a daily basis, and the feline in a TikTok clip posted on December 30 is no exception.

In the video, which has been viewed 8.6 million times, a grey-and-white tabby cat can be seen making an unusual chirruping noise, also seemingly sucking its teeth making a kissing noise.

Ever seen your cat acting strangely? Staring at a spot with a sneering expression on its face, mouth open, making a strange clicking sound? It's most likely the flehmen response.

A technique also used by goats, tigers and horses, the flehmen response is a method of catching pheromones on the tongue, then flicking them to the roof of the mouth so the animal can analyze the scent from another cat, for example.

Speaking to PetMD, cat behavioral consultant and best-selling author Pam Johnson-Bennett said: "When a cat displays the flehman response, she's basically analyzing a particular scent," she says.

"It's used primarily for analyzing pheromones from other cats, especially the ones found in urine, but a cat will use it for other interesting scents that require more thorough investigation, too.

"When a cat comes across an interesting scent, it's collected in the mouth where the tongue is used to flick it up to a specialized organ known as the vomeronasal organ or the Jacobson's organ," added Johnson-Bennett.

"The flehman response is basically a combination of smelling and tasting a scent for in-depth investigation. When the cat opens her mouth in a grimace and curls her upper lip, she's providing maximum exposure for the scent to travel through the vomeronasal organ."

This organ is located inside the nasal cavity and opens into the roof of the mouth. It allows cats to analyze chemicals in scents, primarily urine, and to determine if the cat they can smell is a threat, a friend, an eligible male or a female in heat.

Posted by user @zsyfec, the TikTok video has more than 1.9 million likes, and one user commented, "He's mimicking the birds. They do this when they're hunting."

One TikToker posted, "People saying its kissing or imitating birds but actually she is tasting the birds," while another wrote, "That's Flehmen Response."

Newsweek has reached out to @zsyfec for comment.

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