Published: November 02, 2009 07:29 pm      

Are cat whiskers really necessary?

EDMOND — Q: I have a 3-year-old female tabby cat and my son likes to trim off her whiskers. Do they serve any purpose and is this OK? She acts like she does not like having them touched.

A: All cats have whiskers and as a rule of thumb they are about twice the width of their face, but many are much longer. Whiskers are a form of specialized facial hair. They act much like radar to help the cat navigate in absolute darkness or in confined spaces. They can even detect air currents, they are so sensitive.

I am not surprised she acts like she does not like having them trimmed. First, they are very, very sensitive. Most cats do not like having their whiskers touched. Even more important is that it takes away her ability to navigate in tight spaces or in dim light to total darkness. While most cats can see very well and have great night vision, they are indeed limited in absolute darkness. Many cats do not even like to eat or drink from a small or deep bowl because of the constant whisker stimulation. A cat uses its whiskers to note the lay of the land and to determine movements of prey. Even make-believe prey is important for the house cat to be able to “hunt” and to act out its inherent need to hunt.

The slightest movement of a whisker, even 1/2000 times less than the width of a hair, triggers its sensory nerve to fire and information is immediately sent to the brain. Imagine how sensitive the bottom of our feet are, and when this area is stroked, how “ticklish” we are. Magnify this thousands of times for the sensitivity of a cat whisker.

When a cat is holding its prey with front paws, it may not be able to visualize the prey, but the whiskers tell her if the prey is trying to escape. In many ways whiskers act as the cat’s “sixth sense.”

Whiskers, like other hairs on the body, occasionally shed or drop out. However, a new replacement hair usually takes only a couple of weeks to attain full growth and during that time, her other hairs are functional in helping her negotiate and explore her environment. As long as she has several other long whiskers, she can function normally.

Whiskers always will grow back but you should not let your son trim all of her whiskers off. A cat’s whiskers are an important part of their world and should never be intentionally trimmed. To grow all of her whiskers may take several months and be uncomfortable and scary for her. He is essentially taking away her “sixth sense” capability, which is unfair to her. Perhaps a little sit-down with an explanation of how important her whiskers are to her would be helpful. I also would worry about the possibility of poking a scissor tip into one of her eyes as she struggles to get away.

Hopefully explaining the importance of her having her whiskers will override his desire to have her clean-cut.



DR. M. MARGARET KING, a longtime Edmond veterinarian, is a guest columnist. If you have any questions for her, send them to 1900 S. Bryant, Edmond, OK 73013.