use their whiskers to feel their surroundings
Answers
Answer:
The whiskers vibrate, which sends signals to the nervous system and brain. By sensing these subtle changes, cat whiskers transmit information about the size, shape, and speed of nearby objects. This helps them navigate their environment – especially at night!
Answer:
Cats’ whiskers are made of keratin and therefore do not have any nerves. The whiskers are however deeply rooted in a cat’s face in areas that are rich in blood vessels and nerves thus making the whiskers a conduit to detect movement (such as a breeze) or to gauge space or surroundings to allow the cat to navigate. Some cats also have a few whiskers on their paws as well.
Cat’s cheek whiskers are usually at least as wide as their bodies and their whiskers above the eyes cover the height of their body. Each whisker is connected to a special sensory receptor that communicates with the cat’s brain and the brain processes the information and sends signals to allow the cat to navigate safely, either just when walking (given their poor near vision), or when squeezing into or through a small space.
When venturing into unknown and possibly restricted spaces, cats will often pop their head in and out which allows them to better gauge whether or not they will actually fit through the space.
Cat’s whiskers can also be used as part of their body language. If the whiskers are standing out as you would normally see, then the cat is fairly relaxed and curious. But if the whiskers are held flat against the face, then the cat is unhappy and possibly angry.
You should never cut a cat’s whiskers. If you do their sensory ability will be compromised and your cat may have difficulty navigating through their surroundings and may feel quite uncomfortable at the loss of one of their senses. And it does take quite a while for whiskers to grow back.
Some cat’s whiskers can be so incredibly sensitive that they have difficulty eating from deep bowls and as a consequence you can now purchase “whisker friendly food bowls”. So if your kitty has any trouble with eating from its bowl, there is a solution at your local pet shop.
Cat’s whiskers are actually really important and it is the whiskers that allow cats to undertake all sorts of athletic and acrobatic movements. They very much rely on the sensory input that the whiskers provide.
My mother once cut the whiskers off her kitty and it took months for the whiskers to grow back. My mother was not in anyone’s good books apparently for quite a while!
Here is a link to a PetMD article about cat’s whiskers that is quite comprehensive and covers off a bit more than I have done: