Cat Whiskers

Whiskers are very important in what makes a cat a cat. In fact, they are specialized tools that have many important functions including navigating, avoiding injury, hunting and social interaction.

If you look closely at your cat’s face, you can see that the whiskers on the upper part of the lip are arranged in four rows on each side. Notice the upper two rows can move independently of the bottom two rows. These whiskers develop from specialized hair follicles that assist a cat’s sense of touch. The follicles also have specialized muscle attachments, allowing the cat to have some control over whisker movement.

The whisker hair has no sensation and can be cut without causing any discomfort. However, any movement or touch to the whisker causes sensation to the hair follicle’s nerve supply. It’s definitely best to leave the whiskers and the whisker hair alone. Whiskers are too important to take the chance of confusing your feline, or causing your cat to feel disjointed.

Whiskers are an important part of a cat’s sense of touch. This is especially true in the first 10 to 14 days of a kitten’s life, when their eyes are not yet open. They navigate their surroundings mainly by sense of touch.

Have you ever seen newborn kittens moving about and bobbing their heads back and forth? They are collecting data through their whiskers. Their whiskers help them find mom and hone in on dinner. Whiskers act like antennae, warning them about impending danger, as well as helping them learn about their new home and surroundings.

As they get older, whiskers help cats navigate through danger and obstacles. Although cats have excellent night vision, it is a fallacy that they can see in absolute darkness. Their whiskers are what enable them to find their way in complete darkness. Even in perfect light, whiskers help tremendously.

Different whiskers do different things – the whiskers above the eyes help them avoid eye injuries and the upper lip whiskers can even help a cat decide if an opening is large enough for its body to pass.

One of the most important functions of whiskers is assisting the cat to hunt. A cat can sense the movement of its prey through air currents on its whiskers. This enables the cat to pinpoint exactly the location of the prey.

When a cat is pouncing on its prey, the whiskers are pointed as far forward as possible. This assists the cat in accurately catching its prey. The sensitive hair follicles associated with the whiskers tell the cat when its prey is dead. The dead prey can be put down without the possibility of having it escape.

Whiskers are also used for purely social purposes. When introduced to a new cat, part of the greeting ritual is touching whiskers – on the back, on the neck and on the flanks.

Whiskers also communicate emotions; when pushed forward they indicate openness and friendliness, when pushed back against the cheek, they indicate hostility.

You can see why your cat is proud of its whiskers. Remember – NEVER trim whiskers. They are an important part of your cats’ anatomy and most importantly, they add a majestic appearance to you feline friend. Watch and learn next time your cat is stalking its favorite toy or greeting another kitty.