The anatomy of an animal is so fascinating. It’s amazing how unique each animal can be, and how different they are from one another. The animals might be so unique that the simple features we see in an animal might actually be far more complex than we can imagine.
One simple feature we see so often are a cat’s whiskers. The whiskers of a cat define its signature look. Every cat has them, and it makes them look so sweet and cute, especially if their whiskers tickle you when they are near to you. However, there is more than meets the eye with a cat and its whiskers.
As it turns out, a cat’s whiskers have many functions and is absolutely crucial for cats! The most important function is its use as a sensory tool to help cats navigate through all kinds of environments.
Cats should have exactly 24 whiskers on their face; 12 on each side, and perfectly symmetrical, too. As whiskers are important for cats as a sensory tool, they actually also have whiskers above their eyes, on their jaw, near their ears, and even on their forelegs!
Every single whisker act as a sensor for cats. Whiskers helps cats track changes in air current to identify potential danger. It also helps them measure their distance to a prey and sense the prey’s movements. Cats also use them as a ‘ruler’, as they will often use the whiskers on their face to survey tight spaces they wish to go into and check out if their body will fit into that space.
It might be a lesser known fact, but cats can’t actually see well up close. Unfortunately, they can’t wear special glasses to help their vision like humans do; so, they resort to the closest thing to that, which is using their whiskers to help them ‘see’ better. When a cat’s whisker touches something, it can immediately tell a cat of its location, size and texture. This compensates for their inability to see details with their eyes.
Whiskers also act to provide protection to a cat. The whiskers on a cat’s face, especially ones above the eyes, will help pick up signals of a potential ‘threat’. For example, if a speck of dust is flying towards a cat, the whiskers can detect this and it will lead to the cat’s reflex to allow the cat to blink or shake the dust away.
Research also shows that cats use their whiskers to communicate with other cats, and maybe also to their owners. Small muscles near the base of the whiskers allow stressed cats to point their whiskers towards potential threats, while they will relax the whiskers when they feel happy. Cats might also pull their whiskers back against their face to make a sad look when they don’t feel well.
Now that you know the importance of a cat’s whiskers, you can probably guess that you should never cut or trim your cat’s whiskers. A cat will be very disoriented and scared of the world around them if their whiskers are trimmed, as they will feel they can’t fully sense the environment near them.
However, if you do find a cat lose some of its whiskers, you can rest assured knowing that they can actually grow back! It will take two to three months for them to grow to the required length so it can fully function as a sensory aid for a cat.