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Why Do Cats Have Whiskers

© Maureen Fleury

Those cute little whiskers on a cat are not there to make it look pretty. The whiskers are located on the eyebrows, chin, and behind the wrists, as well as on their cheeks. If you notice, the whiskers are longer than the other hairs on a cat and there is a reason for this. Whiskers hairs are a lot thicker than the body hair and are very deep rooted to the cat's nerve endings. They are very sensitive.

Whiskers serve as feelers or radar or antennae. That is, cats use their whiskers to feel objects around them. Cat's whiskers automatically grow to the width of the cat. A fat cat will have very long whiskers while skinny cats will have shorter whiskers. When a cat is trying to walk through an opening or crawl into something, their whiskers will tell the cat if the opening is wide enough. If the edges of the opening touch the whiskers, the cat will not crawl through.

When it's dark, we all know it is hard to see. Cats use their whiskers to help them hunt and to avoid walking into objects or being attacked. Cats have excellent night vision with their eyes and the whiskers help them see even better.

Whiskers also will tell a cat if there is an object nearby by detecting a change in air current. When a person walks or moves his/her arms, it creates a wind. The cat's whiskers can feel the wind and alerts the cat to be on guard for a something moving around the house or outdoors. When a cat approaches a piece of furniture, the whiskers can determine a difference in the air current and directs the cat to walk around the furniture rather than bumping into it.

As you can see, the whiskers are very valuable to a cat. They help the eyes and the ears perform better. This is why it is very important to never cut a cat's whiskers. It can put a cat in danger.

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The Pet Lady says: Whiskers can tell you the mood of a cat. If a cat is happy, the whiskers are extending fully outwards. If the cat is in danger or upset, the whiskers will be held in toward the body.

This is a picture of "Star" who belongs to my good friend James Robinson

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