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Some cats just love to sniff, lick and generally investigate their owners’ feet, and this little kitty is no exception! The only problem is, his reaction to a foot that smells a bit funky is…well, a little extreme to say the least.

The neat little video, which shows the cat approaching its owner, only to run away and then run back again excitedly, has been giving us a good giggle. Let’s check it out:

▼ CALM DOWN KITTY, IT’S JUST SOME STINKY FEET!

fWHJHwYouTube/RocketNews24

Turns out, the amazing face cats (and other mammals) pull when they smell something funky is down to a phenomenon called the Flehmen response. When some animals smell something – like bodily waste or even stinky feet – that’s of interest to them, they may curl back their upper lip, exposing the teeth, and inhale while holding the jaw position. This allows the animal to get a better whiff of the scent, assessing its pheromones.

It also leads to the animal pulling faces like this:

487px-Sumatratiger-004Wikipedia/Wilfried Berns

This:

New_Forest_Pony_DorsetWikipedia/Saffron Blaze

And this:

FlehmenResponseHorseWikipedia/Brandinian

So: thank you Flehmen response, for giving the world these incredible animal faces. THANK YOU.

Source: buzzmag.jp
Featured image: YouTube/郭恩劭