One of the most distinguished features of a cat is it’s long whiskers which looks beautiful and gives them a tender appearance. But why do cat’s have whiskers? Is there any functionality behind them or are they just a visual appearance which looks pretty?
Cat whiskers are a very important instrument, containing many different functions to allow them a full control over their environment.
A great example of this is cats can detect their exact location and size of an object just by simply brushing their whiskers against it. The whiskers are so sensitive that they can even do this in the dark.
What Are Whiskers?
Whiskers are very different to regular hair in that they are a lot thicker and more coarse. They are connected to vitally important sensory tissues which are located in a deeper area of the skin and have roots that are three times deeper which are surrounded by nerves and blood vessels.
Most cats have around 10 to 14 whiskers projecting from four straight lines and are technically known in the veterinary world as vibrissae.
Whiskers are strategically located under their chin, around the front paws, above the eyes, and above their lip.
Why Do Cat’s Have Whiskers?
#1 Built-In Measuring Tape
Whiskers are a built-in measuring tape which can help them judge the width of a space. If you’ve ever saw a cat putting their head into an opening before they move into it, this is the reason why.
A cat’s whiskers will grow to around the same width of his body. This is excellent for allowing them to judge the width of a space so your cat can gauge how tight a space is before they move into it.
#2 Vibration Sensors
A cat’s whiskers will sense vibration in the air which makes them act like their very own radar. This makes incredibly useful to sense approaching danger, measuring distance, and even chasing prey.
#3 Help With Close Up Vision
If you’ve ever held food in front of your cat’s mouth to see though struggling to find it, this is because a cat’s close up vision isn’t very good. Anything closer than 30cm to them and they will struggle to see it.
This is where their amazing, sensitive whiskers come into place. They use their whiskers by brushing them against an object. By doing this they can not only tell where it is, but they can also tell the size of an object, and even the texture.
#4 Night Vision Aids
Cat’s have much better night vision than humans which allows them to seamlessly move around during the night. A big part of the reason why they can do this without bumping into anything is due to their whiskers.
The way they work is the whiskers pick up on air currents in a room, which then sends a message to their brain telling them where objects are.
#5 Part of a Cat’s Body Language
Whiskers can give you a visual clue on a cat’s current emotion and how they are feeling. Other things are taken into account too such as a cats ears, tail, and dilation of pupils, but here’s an indication of what your cat could be feeling.
- Whiskers pulled back: threatened, defensive, apprehensive
- Whiskers at sides: relaxed, happy, content
- Whiskers forward: curious, hunting, gathering information about surroundings, excited, aggressive
#6 Protection
You cat’s whiskers also serve as a perfect protection mechanism to help protect them from injury. The whiskers around their eyes are super sensitive. They respond by blinking or shaking to even the tiniest touch.
This is to ensure that their whiskers will detect any dangerous, sharp objects when they are outside exploring.
#7 Catching Prey
As previously mentioned, cat’s struggle to see anything closer than 30cm to them. This means they need another method of catching prey. They way they do this is by using the whiskers on the back of the legs and on their chin to help catch their prey.
Cat Whisker Facts
We’ve looked at why cat’s have whiskers and how crucial they are for a cat to function. Let’s now take a look at some cool facts on cat whiskers.
#1 Whiskers Are Not Just on Their Face
If you have read all of this article so far, it has been mentioned on a few points above that cat whiskers are not just limited to around their nose. Cat whiskers can also be found on their…
- Eyes
- Ears
- Jaw
- Forelegs (carpal whiskers)
#2 Whiskers Are Symmetrical
Cat’s have around 10 to 14 whiskers on each side of their muzzle which makes them completely symmetrical. The symmetrical formation allows for extreme accuracy when measuring their environment.
#3 Whiskers Can Change Colour
A cat’s whiskers can show signs of ageing. Just as a human’s hair colour can change grey as they age, a cats whiskers can appear to change to dark grey or black. Although this doesn’t always happen.
#4 Cat Whiskers Should Never Be Trimmed
By now should have a greater understanding of how important whiskers are to your cat. If you’ve gone through all of the points above you will see that cat whiskers are a crucial tool for multiple different purposes.
The worst thing you could ever do is cut off your cat’s whiskers. What happens if you cut off a cat’s whiskers? By doing this, your cat will become very disorientated. They will no longer be able to sense or measure their environment which will make them very frightened.
Occasionally you may find that one or two of them have naturally fallen out. Don’t be alarmed by this as this is normal and they will eventually grow back.
#5 Whiskers Are Extremely Sensitive
The difference between whiskers and the rest of a cat’s fur is that the whiskers are rooted a lot deeper into the skin. This means that the whiskers have a more generous supply of blood and nerves which makes them become super sensitive.
So sensitive that not only can they detect even the slightest change of an environment, but it can also cause the cat pain is you handle the whiskers in a certain way. Even eating out of a narrow food bowl may cause discomfort, as it will press the whiskers backwards.
Common Cat Whisker Questions
Why Do Cats Lose Whiskers?
Cats lose both hair and whiskers as their body sheds to remove dead skin and hair. Cats can also lose whiskers due to other reasons such as as stress bought on by a new pet or moving into a new home.
Can Cats Die Without Their Whiskers?
No, cats cannot die if their whiskers are cut off. They would just struggle to sense their environment and will become very frightened because whiskers are such an important tool to them.
Why Do Cats Have Whiskers On Their Legs?
Whiskers located on the underside of their wrists and the back of the front legs are known as carpal whiskers. While whiskers on their face help with working out space in their surroundings, whiskers on their legs are crucial for hunting and catching prey.
As a cat struggles to see up close, the whiskers on their legs will give them information to let them know if the prey is still moving.
Why Do Cats Have Whiskers On Their Eyebrows?
The long whiskers protruding from their eyebrows are to detect danger. They act as a second set of eyes and can cause a cat to close their eyes which helps to protect them.
Why Are My Cats Whiskers Curling?
Cats whiskers are part of their body language and can move into different positions depending upon their mood or how they are feeling.
Sometimes a new whisker just growing through can be curling, and will eventually straighten as it becomes thicker. Senior cats may also have whiskers that curl.
What does it mean if your cat has one black whisker?
A black whiskers is perfectly normal and you shouldn’t be concerned about it. Black whiskers are usually an indication that your cat is getting older. Cats just moving out of the kitten stage may also develop black whiskers.
Conclusion
Hope you enjoyed this article on why do cat’s have whiskers, and that you now have a better understanding of what they are and how they function. Also, check out this fascinating video below from BBC Earth showing cats in slow-motion using the functions of their whiskers.
