Urban Dictionary, the web’s most popular slang resource, defines the word "blep" as, "the act of a cat sticking its tongue out slightly without realizing it, often for long periods of time." The term was first coined over ten years ago by the creator of the r/Blep subreddit, BillohRly, who also came up with the variations "blop" and "blup" to describe the same behavior in other animals.

But why do cats blep? There are actually several reasons. When cats stick their tongues out, they are literally getting a better sense of their environment by analyzing scents. This is part of the Flehmen response, which aids them in "smelling" through taste when encountering something unusual, like new smells on your shoes or clothes.

Bleps also happen when a cat is deeply relaxed, especially during sleep. Their jaws may slacken, letting their tongue slip out—a sign they feel completely safe and comfortable. Certain breeds like Persians or Himalayans are predisposed to blepping because of their facial structure, which makes keeping their tongue inside a bit more challenging.

Sometimes, blepping can be a sign of dental discomfort, nausea, or even stress. If your cat bleps frequently alongside symptoms like drooling or trouble eating, it may be a sign of a health issue that warrants a trip to the vet - no cat’s favorite activity.

A blep is just the tip of the iceberg of fascinating cat tongue facts. Did you know that a cat's tongue is coated with tiny, backward-facing spines called papillae? These spines are made of keratin (the same stuff as fingernails) and give the tongue its rough texture. Papillae are essential for grooming, helping the cat remove loose fur while distributing natural oils across their coat.

When cats groom, their tongues act as a comb and exfoliator, cleaning dead skin cells and improving their coat's health. The rough texture can also remove dirt between their toes and help keep wounds clean. Cats' tongues are highly efficient at lapping up water too - they create a tiny cup-like structure to scoop up liquid quickly and effectively.

The popularity of r/Blep is hardly a surprise. A 2015 survey found that cats drove about 15% of all internet traffic. To put that into perspective, of about 4.66 billion people frequently using the web back then, 699 million were, at some point, searching for cats or cat-related topics every month. At the time of writing, Instagram alone turned up 502K posts for the hashtag #blep, signaling its popularity on social media.

YouTube videos featuring felines account for over 26 billion views, making them the single most popular category on the site. While the site actually gets more searches for dogs, cat content gets nearly four times more viral views than content featuring hounds. In 2010, it was estimated that there were about 1.3 billion cat pictures on the internet. Today, that number is expected to be over 6.5 billion. We wonder, just how many of them feature bleps? 

Let us know if you enjoyed this list of cats in full derp mode, and don’t forget to upvote for your favorites or leave a comment!