Cats and Snakes
Why Do Cats Hiss? The Curious Link Between Cats and Snakes Hissing Many animals hiss — but chances are, the first two hissy animals you think of are cats and snakes. Snakes have an organ in the throat called the glottis that they breathe through. Normally this is a quiet process, but by forcibly expelling air from the glottis, the telltale hissing sound emerges. Snakes hiss as a defensive tactic — one that is especially useful for small, non-venomous snakes. A hissing snake can give the impression of a larger, more dangerous foe. So why do cats hiss? Believe it or not, cats are actually imitating snakes when they hiss! Snakes are seen as some of the most fearsome predators in the animal kingdom. Just like snakes, cats hiss to sound intimidating and to try to scare away whatever is threatening them. Litter-Robot resident veterinarian Dr. Justine Lee explains that by changing the shape of their tongue and pharynx (the tissue right in front of their voice box), cats are able to shar...