A Second Scenting System
Cats have a scenting system that is independent of their noses. This system is at work when a cat curls back its upper lip and exposes its teeth, a look sometimes described as a sneer. A cat is displaying what has been described as a hybrid between taste and smell called flehmen, a German word for which there is no translation. It is a result of a cat's second scenting system, the vomeronasal organ or Jacobson's organ (named for its discoverer). This scent organ is independent of a cat's nose. A cat inhales with its mouth partially open while holding its breath. The rush of air and the tongue combine to bring the scent to Jacobson's organ and then to the brain.
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