Cats have evolved as carnivores and need meat to survive. Their teeth are designed to rip and tear flesh, not chew vegetables and cereal like ours. Cats also lack the digestive system needed to process plant material and must eat vegetation in small amounts (if at all) as a source of moisture — they get most of their water from the prey they catch and eat.
Teeth for eating meat:
The cat’s jaw has only limited side-to-side motion, which allows it to perform a scissors-like action with its top and bottom jaws (known as a scissor bite). This creates a vice-like grip that can latch onto struggling prey without crushing delicate bones within its mouth. Softer surfaces such as fur, skin, and feathers slide easily through the jaws of dogs, which typically have large, prominent front teeth (incisors) to grip onto prey with.
Large canine teeth:
Cats can’t tear their food as dogs do. Instead, they make a neat puncture wound in the flesh by using their two long canine teeth to pierce the skin followed by a quick upward jerk of the head to rip off an edible mouthful. These are often called “stab” or “surgical” bites. With small prey, cats may not even use these sharp teeth to puncture through fur since it’s easier just to deliver one neat bite close to where the neck meets the shoulders and suffocate its prey with its vice-like grip.
Cats’ teeth are also adapted to bite down on struggling prey and hold them tightly. Cats use their front, sharp teeth to pierce the skin, then a quick tug backward using the neck and shoulders to rip off a mouthful of flesh. This is often called “stabbing” or “surgical” biting.
Sharp canine teeth:
The other two types of teeth in the cat’s mouth are its pointed premolars and molars. At the back of the mouth toward the throat, cats have small pointed teeth that help grasp struggling prey and tear it into smaller chunks that can be swallowed whole — these are known as “piercing,” “holding” or sometimes “crushing” teeth. All this together makes for a very efficient killing machine.
Sharp incisors:
In addition to canines, cats have four other types of teeth — one upper and lower pair on either side of the mouth. At the front are two long, curved “tear” teeth used to tear meat apart and cut through fur, feathers, or a bird’s hard outer layer of feathers known as its “integument.”
Cats use their sharp lower canine teeth to pierce the skin followed by a quick upward jerk of the head to rip off an edible mouthful. These are often called “stab” or “surgical” bites. With small prey, cats may not even use these sharp teeth to puncture through fur since it’s easier just to deliver one neat bite close to where the neck meets the shoulders and suffocate its prey with its vice-like grip. Inside cats’ mouths:
There are three types of teeth in a cat’s mouth — two upper and lower pairs on either side of the mouth. At the front are two long, curved “tear” teeth used for tearing meat apart and cutting through fur, feathers, or a bird’s hard outer layer of feathers (its integument).
Sharp cheek teeth:
Cats also have four short pointed premolars and strong sharp molars located at the back of their mouths toward their throat. This helps grasp struggling prey and tear it into smaller chunks that can be swallowed whole — these are known as “piercing,” “holding” or sometimes “crushing” teeth. All this together makes for a very efficient killing machine.
Cats typically have 30 deciduous (temporary) teeth and 30 permanent teeth — the latter erupt as the former start to fall out — which is about half that of dogs, who usually have 42 deciduous and 42 permanent teeth respectively. In addition to those two sets of “baby” incisors near the front of their mouth, cats also have four short sharp premolars and strong sharp molars at the back of their mouth toward their throat.
These help grasp struggling prey and tear it into smaller chunks that can be swallowed whole — these are known as “piercing,” “holding” or sometimes “crushing” teeth. All this together makes for a very efficient killing machine.