in many mammalian herbivores (plant-eaters) these front teeth are used to cut off stems of grass and other growing things, that are then ground up by the molars at the back of the mouth. some omnivores (animals that eat both plants and meat), like humans, have incisors like herbivores. in carnivores (meat-eating mammals) like cats, the incisors are often quite small. the canine teeth are long and suitable for grasping and stabbing. carnivores use their incisors for many jobs that need fine control, such as catching fleas, carrying a kitten or peeling the skin off a fish. if a dog or a member of the cat family needs to cut something with their teeth, they use their back teeth like scissors.