Cats rely on their whiskers to interact with the world. While they may just seem like a cute feature that makes cats extra adorable, whiskers actually serve many purposes. Whiskers are sensory tools that are essential to a cat’s ability to navigate their environment, hunt, and communicate their emotions.
Whiskers, or vibrissae, are extra-thick, specialized hairs located on a cat’s face. Cats typically have 24 whiskers, symmetrically placed on their muzzle, above their eyes and ears, on their cheeks and chin, and on the backs of their front legs. Whiskers are deeply embedded into the skin and are connected to a highly sensitive nerve system that makes them incredibly responsive to touch and movement.
Clusters of sensory cells known as mechanoreceptors surround every whisker. When a whisker touches an object or senses a change in the air currents, the mechanoreceptors send information to the cat’s brain. This helps the cat sense their surroundings in a way that their eyes and ears cannot. This is especially beneficial for blind or deaf cats and a major reason why they can successfully navigate their environments despite their disability.
Whiskers allow cats to see things that are right in front of them. Since cats cannot focus on objects that are closer than around a foot away, they rely on their whiskers to locate things that are very near.
Whiskers help cats maneuver around their environment, especially in the dark or in low-light conditions. Since whiskers extend out from the body, they can detect objects in the environment before a cat’s body physically touches them. This heightened sensory awareness is advantageous in many situations including gauging whether or not they can fit through certain spaces, navigating around obstacles, and detecting movement from predators or prey.
Since cats use their whiskers to detect the presence of prey, whiskers are also essential for hunting. When stalking and pouncing, cats rely on their whiskers to gather subtle information about their prey’s position and movements. Since whiskers can detect vibrations in the air, cats can adjust their position and timing with incredible precision. After a cat catches their prey, their whiskers - particularly those on the backs of their front legs - help them maintain a strong grip on the prey and assess its size and movements, ensuring a quick and accurate kill.
Whiskers also aid in communication, allowing us to understand how a cat is feeling. For example, the whiskers of a relaxed cat will typically be positioned in a neutral, slightly outward direction, while the whiskers of a frightened cat will flatten backward against the face. When a cat is feeling curious, the whiskers often reach forward and when a cat is feeling playful, their whiskers tend to twitch with excitement.
Because whiskers are connected to the sensory system, cutting them can impair a cat’s ability to navigate, hunt, and communicate. Cats that lose their whiskers or have shortened whiskers can become disoriented, uncoordinated, or stressed. Whiskers are essential to a cat’s physical and mental health, and cutting them can have a serious impact on their confidence. You should never trim your cat’s whiskers.
From helping them navigate their environment to successfully hunting and communicating, whiskers are an essential component of a cat’s anatomy that help them to survive in the world.
Love, Nala
