 The cat skull is unusual among mammals in having very large eye sockets and a powerful and specialized jaw . Within the jaw , cats have teeth adapted for killing prey and tearing meat . When it overpowers its prey , a cat delivers a lethal neck bite with its two long canine teeth , inserting them between two of the prey 's vertebrae and severing its spinal cord , causing irreversible paralysis and death . Compared to other felines , domestic cats have narrowly spaced canine teeth , which is an adaptation to their preferred prey of small rodents , which have small vertebrae . The premolar and first molar together compose the carnassial pair on each side of the mouth , which efficiently shears meat into small pieces , like a pair of scissors . These are vital in feeding , since cats ' small molars cannot chew food effectively , and cats are largely incapable of mastication . Though cats tend to have better teeth than most humans , with decay generally less likely because of a thicker protective layer of enamel , a less damaging saliva , less retention of food particles between teeth , and a diet mostly devoid of sugar , they are nonetheless subject to occasional tooth loss and infection . 
