Cats’ whiskers are cute and perhaps a little weird. They can feel spiky to touch or tickly when they rub on your leg. However, did you know they have many useful functions? Check out these whisker-related cat facts.

Whiskers reveal how your cat is feeling

When a cat is feeling frightened or threatened you’ll notice its whiskers become flat against the side of the face. On the other hand, when your cat is feeling happy and comfortable, its whiskers stick out straight. When a cat hunts pray its whiskers face forward to collect information about the surrounding area and help track the location of its prey.

A cat uses its whiskers to measure

Yes, it’s a cat fact; whiskers make for a super handy measuring tool. How? Whiskers are generally about the same width as a cat’s body. This helps our feline friends to work out whether they can fit in a certain space. For example, if a cat can fit its whiskers through a hole in the fence, he or she feels comfortable about squeezing its entire body through.

Never ever cut your cat’s whiskers

Here’s another cool cat fact; cats actually shed their whiskers. However, cutting or even trimming your cat’s whiskers is a big no-no. When you chop a cat’s whiskers you leave them disorientated. After all, they no longer have their smart sensors to guide them.

Cats don’t just have whiskers on their face

You can be forgiven for thinking that cats only have whiskers on their face. In actual fact, whiskers are strategically located in multiple areas of a cat’s body.

Cats have 12 whiskers in symmetrical rows on each side of the face, making 24 in total. Yet, they also have whiskers above their eyes, near the ears, forelegs and on their jaw.

Whiskers don’t just make your cat look cute

Yes, your feline friend does look a little adorable with his sticky-out whiskers. However, whiskers do a lot more than ensure your kitty looks super fine!

Whiskers are smart touch sensors to help your cat safely navigate its surroundings, hunt prey and avoid becoming injured. Cats use their whiskers in the same way we might use the nerves in our fingertips to avoid touching a hot surface.

Whiskers offer protection

Did you know whiskers help to protect your feline friend? Indeed, it’s one of many cat facts! Not only will they help prevent your cat from getting stuck in a small space, but also they protect the eyes and body from injury.

Because whiskers are super sensitive, they will become alert to tiny particles, such as dust and dirt. This can help stop foreign objects from going into your cat’s eyes. Similarly, whiskers will sense a sharp object and prompt your kitty to move away from it to avoid injury. What a smart little cookie!

So, it seems a cat’s whiskers are sweet-looking but also smart. They serve an array of useful purposes and help cats to hunt and stay safe. So, we need to take good care of our purring pals’ whiskers. This means no pulling or tugging them. No cutting or plucking your cat’s whiskers. Also, when petting your cat, always run your hand along the grain of the whisker, never against the grain.

Well, who’d have thought that when it comes to cat facts, whiskers make such an interesting topic of conversation?

 

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