5 Super Cool Facts About Your Cat's Whiskers
Cats are such beautiful, mysterious animals that it shouldn’t surprise us to know that even their whiskers are special. As it turns out, these vibrissae are truly remarkable creations - and you should never attempt to trim or cut them.
Cat got your tongue? Read on to find out just how extraordinary your cat’s whiskers can be!
Whiskers Help Your Cat “See” In The Dark
Despite not being an actual superpower, a cat’s whiskers are incredibly powerful navigators that can even beat high-sensitivity GPS.
Located in horizontal rows on your cat’s whisker pad (amongst other unexpected places), these “touch receptors” are rooted deep in nerve-rich areas and are extremely sensitive to vibrations in the air. If you ever wondered how your cats have such quick reflexes, that’s partially attributed to their whiskers.
Despite their poor near-sight vision, cats are able to skillfully chase down their prey (and avoid hungry predators) simply by reacting to the tell-tale vibrations in the air. When a cat brushes his whiskers against an object, this provides him with detailed information on the exact location, size, and even composition of the item. And that’s super-duper, ultra-liciously cool.
Cats Have Whiskers On Their Legs
Now, this has got to be one of those things that you can never un-see.
Cats are solitary hunters and nature has pretty much built them to be tiny killing machines. You might be familiar with a cat’s facial whiskers, but did you know they have whiskers on the back of their forelegs too? These are called “carpal whiskers” and help your little one “see” the movement of his prey once it is caught in his grasp.
Whiskers Can Change Color
OK, but maybe not those colors you’re thinking about.
While most cats have snowy white whiskers, it’s not uncommon for these to change colors at some point. Like humans, cats go grey with age and their whiskers sometimes reflect the signs of ageing. Nonetheless, things are more topsy-turvy in the cat world and white whiskers may turn black instead as your cat ages.
Some cats are also graced with colorful whiskers (i.e. mixture of black and white) that leave us completely dazzled.
Whiskers Are Built-In Measuring Tapes
You’re probably immune to surprises by now, but did you know a cat’s whiskers roughly correspond to the width of their body? This feature proves particularly useful when your cat tries to gauge whether he can fit into a tight space. As such, there’s a kitty saying that goes like this: If the whiskers fit, I fit.
They Can Cause Whisker Fatigue
You might not know the term, but you’ve probably witnessed its work in cats that hesitate to approach their feeding or drinking bowls.
A cat’s whiskers are so exquisitely sensitive that they can even cause whisker fatigue - a stress-related condition that occurs when a cat’s whiskers constantly brush up against the sides of his feeding bowl. This experience can be incredibly stressful (even painful) for some cats, and owners are recommended to use wide and shallow bowls for stress-free mealtimes.
Not sure if your cat has whisker fatigue? Read more about it here.
With that said, we’ll like to sum up by reminding cat owners once again to leave your cat’s whiskers alone. As an essential sensory mechanism, these should never be trimmed or cut - and there is no such thing like “my cat’s whiskers are growing too long”. Got a question? Reach out to us on our social media channels. ;D