May you enjoy learning about cat's whiskers!

May you enjoy learning about cats’ whiskers!  


As a young child and growing up with a cat, my parents always told me to be careful with the whiskers on my cat and to be gentle with them.  This always was a nice memory and something that I have always done but not sure why and I eventually learned why. Whiskers do quite a bit of assistance for your cat and never take a break. Understanding what the long pokers on their face ( and other places) is about is very important for your cat. 

You get on my nerves…..  Yes, whiskers or for the technical name, vibrissae, are rooted right next to nerves in a cat’s skin and they sense every little movement,  touch, vibration ( hence the name) and even temperature. Now I know why my parents told me to be very careful around the whiskers as pulling or tugging on them can be extremely painful!    

Almost as wide as tall…. If you take a close look, your cat’s whiskers are as wide as their body is!   Watch your cat try and squeeze into a small space and the whiskers will guide them good or bad.  Whiskers are always ‘on’ and cats will use them as lane detectors for going through tight spaces and for feeling areas out. These can also help with low light creeping around at night! 

More than only facial hair…  Having groomed cats, knowing that there is a ‘carpal vibrissae”on the back of their front legs is important and to avoid trimming that when shaving. Eyebrows and even one on the side of the cheek will assist with the sneakiness cats can get into.  Watch your cat try and open a door and you’ll see a paw reach out to test the space and then they’ll proceed. 

Never ever… Also having groomed cats, I learned that you never ever trim or cut whiskers!  I’ve heard of people doing this and ouch, this is horrible as it can affect a cat's balance and jumping abilities. Thankfully, whiskers grow back quickly but just don’t do it.    You will see fallen whiskers around as they shed and regrow just like hair. 

You’re very unique…  There are 24 whiskers for cats on each side of their face but no set pattern.  Their whisker pattern is as unique as they are!   It’s adorable to see some cats with different color whiskers - a black cat with one white one, an orange cat with a black whisker. 

Read the room… Cats are pretty easy to read and whiskers are right up there.  Flat back and tight are saying get back and leave me alone!  Scared or angry, whiskers speak volumes.

Overworked and exhausted…  With all the work these whiskers are doing constantly, they need a break at times and can become fatigued.  Yes, whisker fatigue is a real thing as is sensitivity.  Some cats just don’t like their whiskers to be touched so respect the boundaries. For help dealing with the fatigue, using a wide and open bowl for food and water can help rest the alerts and let them relax a bit.  

• Gus is showing off all his facial here for you to better understand!