The Tongue

The surface of the cat's tongue is covered by projections called papillae.  In the middle of the tongue the central papillae are large, spiny and point rearward.  The abrasive central papillae are used to scrape meat from bones during feeding.  In addition, these large papillae are used for grooming of the cat's fur.

Taste Buds  Smaller papillae on the tip of the tongue are used to sense taste.