If you own a cat or ever have, you'll know that they do the most hilarious things - and one of them is pulling a hilarious face when they've smelled something "stinky".
In an adorable video by @nala.macy on Instagram, the cat in the video can be seen sniffing someone's sock intently, pulling away, and then pulling a face cat owners will be all too familiar with - the open-mouthed, slightly shocked stare.
Over the top of the video, the owner of the cat penned: "If they sent you this then you are...stinky", but in the comments, people were quick to point out there's an actual name for your cat responding in this way.
Someone wrote: "I love when they make that face when they smell something". Another penned: Does anyone else have a cat that does this and then bites your toe??? It's like my cat's so offended it gets mad."
"This is referred to as the Flehmen's response", one clued-in cat-lover wrote - but what is that? According to PetMD, the "response is a behavioural response seen in cats".
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It "helps them process interesting smells, such as pheromone - chemical compounds secreted to help relay messages to other members of their species regarding territory, breeding, and identification."
They shared that it is a "voluntary response, meaning the animal deliberately exhibits the behaviour", and when your "cat is enacting the flehmen response, they will typically hold their mouth open", with the 'stinky' face that we all know and love, which is actually a "grimace" or "sneer" while they process the smell.
Any "cat can use the flehmen response as a reaction to a scent they find worthy of further investigation", and scents may include urine, dirty laundry, anal gland secretions, facial pheromones from other cats, and anything else they find intriguing or new - so don't be offended if they do it after smelling you, because it doesn't actually mean they think you're stinky.
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