In addition to being cute, cat whiskers are amazing sensory organs with no real similarities to humans. They are aerodynamic and help us feel the world around us through the movement of the air. And we use them in amazing ways! Here are ten of them, but I’m sure you must have known some of these fascinating facts.
- Cats have a whisker in our face, but we also have it behind our front legs.
Mystical whiskers are most prominent and are what you’re likely to imagine right away. There is 24. There are 12 on either side of the face. However, there is a whisker at the upper lip, chin, above the eyes, near the ears, and behind the lower part of the front leg. - Our leg whiskers are a hunting tool.
They are called carpal whiskers, and we use them when we are prey and feel how well it is moving. The problem is that those leg whiskers are a big help, as we don’t see them very often. They also help when climbing trees. - Kittens are born with whiskers.
This makes sense as kittens cannot be seen at birth. Their little whiskers are the best way to sense the world around them. - A beard helps cats “see” in the darkness.
Even in the darkest nights and pure white rooms, cats can navigate their own paths. Our whiskers help us sense the objects around us. So, we rarely encounter or travel at night, but humans are helplessly shaken. - The whiskers are also like small speedometers.
It helps you measure both speed and distance while running. You don’t need a dial like the one your car has on the dashboard. - “Whisker fatigue” is a real problem.
When my humans first started looking at a wider, flat cat food bowl that was advertised as a way to avoid whisker fatigue, she thought it was primarily a marketing ploy. But it’s actually real! Our whiskers are so sensitive that it really bothers us when they continue to rub the edges of the bowl, as we have already seen. And it’s uncomfortable to pull them all the way through us. - Want to know what cats are like? Check out their beards!
Some of the cat’s facial expressions include what our whiskers are doing. Do you have a whisker in front and your ears in front? We are vigilant and attentive! Do you want to whisker forward and put your ears back? Frightened and aggressive. A relaxed beard is a sign of a happy cat, but if it droops too much it can be a sign of illness. - Whiskers can be seen under UV light.
The important thing here is that whiskers are made with fluorescence therapy. If you want to test it yourself, you will need a very dark room and a strong UV lamp, as it is not a powerful effect. But it’s there. - Cats regularly remove their beards and raise them.
It does not occur frequently. Only one or two at a time (unless there are health issues). But if you find one of the cat’s whiskers, it’s not a big deal that they lost it. They grow in about 2-3 months.
Find these facts fun and interesting. Did anyone of them surprise you? Please let me know in the comments.
