Why do cats groom themselves and dogs don’t

Is it because dogs are lazy slobs while cats like to be clean?  No, it’s all because of their tongues.  You would think that dogs and cats would have tongues that are the same, they look similar don’t they?  But the tongue of a dog is smooth whilst a cat has a rough, rasping one.  A trick of fate then?  No, it’s all down to size and lifestyle – cats are small and in the wild there are lots of predators waiting to gobble them up.  Cats are solitary hunters and need to do everything they can to hide their scent so a lot of grooming goes on.  They have evolved to have a tongue where the spines face backwards and give them excellent grooming traction.

Dogs, on the other hand, are pack animals, there’s safety in numbers and individual scent isn’t so important so they don’t need to groom themselves. Their tongues are ordinary and smooth – better for a hello licking as well!