Fun Facts About Your Pet’s Whiskers

Whiskers are amazing! They’re not just there for looks. Whiskers—for which the technical term is “vibrissae”—are a specialized type of hair found in many mammals, including cats and dogs.  The long, stiff hairs, which are thicker than normal hairs and tapered at the tips, aid a cat’s or dog’s sense of touch.

Like other hairs, whiskers grow from follicles, which extend about three times deeper into the skin than the follicles of normal hair. Bundles of nerves at the base of each follicle make the whiskers specially (exquisitely) attuned to the surrounding environment.

It’s interesting that even hairless breeds of dogs and cats usually still have whiskers. They may not have hair coat but they do tend to have a normal complement of whiskers.

CATS 

Cats have four rows of whiskers on each side of the face, with the exact pattern and number unique to each cat, similar to a person’s fingerprint. There are also whiskers near the corner of the mouth and nose, on the chin, eyebrows and back side of the front legs. The whiskers behind the wrist on the foreleg are to assist with tree climbing and contact with prey. The muscles at the whisker hair follicle allow the whisker to move in different directions.  You can gauge a cat’s mood by looking at the position of his whiskers. They will generally be in a relaxed position, out to the side, if the cat is relaxed and happy. If they are forward, he is on the alert or inquisitive.  If they are moved back and flat against his cheeks, he is nervous or upset.

Your cat’s sensitive whiskers have many functions. They serve as a navigation system in that they send a signal to his brain if he is going through a narrow space. Not only do they brush against the obstacles, but they vibrate with changes in air movements that are reflected by objects or walls.  This is what helps them get around your house in the dark and what helps outdoor cats hunt at night.  Some research shows that they can detect odors as they pull the scented current of air toward their nose.  Whiskers are also important to a cat’s equilibrium.  If they are damaged or missing they can cause a cat to be disoriented or off balance.

Whiskers can be a bit of a nuisance when a cat is eating if the bowl is too narrow as they will touch the sides of the bowl, causing discomfort.  To prevent any discomfort, it is a good idea to provide your cat with wide food and water bowls.

Just as your eyelashes protect your eyes from dust and debris, your cat’s whiskers help keep out irritants. Whiskers also warn your cat if anything is getting too close to his face.  When something touches his whiskers, that alerts him to close his eyes.

A cat’s orientation and motions can be impaired if she loses her whiskers, making it very important that you never cut or trim them. On their own, they will occasionally fall out and new whiskers will grow in their place.

DOGS

Dog whiskers are found on both sides of their muzzle, as well as on the forehead above the eyes, on their chin and above the upper lip. As puppies grow, the whiskers are among the first hairs to develop. Unlike the neatly arranged 12 whiskers in four rows on each side of a cat’s face, dog whiskers are more varied in their pattern depending on their breed and genetics.

Whiskers are twice as thick and coarser than regular dog hair. Their roots are set three times deeper and packed with nerves and blood vessels that make each individual whisker a super sensitive receptor to movement. Air moving it or objects brushing against it causes the whisker to vibrate and stimulates the nerves. Dog whiskers are as sensitive as our fingertips.

Whiskers play an important role in helping dogs understand and move through their environment. The importance of the whiskers is easier to understand when you consider the areas of the brain devoted to touch information. Almost 40% of those areas are dedicated to the regions where the whiskers are located. In fact, each individual whisker can be traced back to a specific location in the brain.

Highly sensitive to subtle changes in air currents, canine whiskers serve as receptors for important information about the size, shape and speed of nearby objects. This helps dogs, for whom vision is not the most highly evolved trait of the senses, “see” objects more clearly, even in the dark. Being able to feel vibrations in the air also helps dogs sense approaching dangers.

Besides the important impact of whiskers on a dog’s tactile sensations, they can also relay messages about how a dog is feeling.   Like cats, dogs will often reflexively flare their whiskers and then point them in a forward direction when they feel threatened, which some scientists believe indicates that whiskers play a role in the defense strategy during combative situations with predators and other dogs.

 Caring for Your Pet’s Whiskers

Whiskers are not painful when they are cut as they don’t have pain receptors, but it can be disorienting for a pet to lose them.  Do not cut or trim them because it may lead to confusion or decreased spatial awareness (knowledge of objects in relation to oneself in that given space).

Pet whiskers play a very important part in your dog or cat’s everyday life.  They are navigation aids, early warning systems, and indicators of mood.  So, love your pet……and respect the whiskers!