Why do cats have whiskers above their eyes

Table of Contents Show

Why do cats have whiskers?
How do cat’s whiskers work?
How do I look after my cat’s whiskers

A cat's whiskers are more than adornment. They help the cat feel its way through tough situations, make well-calculated jumps and even escape from a predator.

Q. My cat’s whiskers are very long and I was thinking of trimming them, but my friend said I shouldn’t do it. Why not? — N.J., Alamo

A. You should never trim, curl, dye or otherwise touch a cat’s whiskers. They are that important.

The whiskers, known as vibrissae, are essential to the cat. They help it find its way in the dark, judge the space between objects and even sense the approach of a predator.

They might look like stiff hairs, but they are much more. Each whisker is connected to muscular and nervous systems, and are extremely sensitive and fine-tuned, sending messages to the brain.

The whiskers on either side of the cat’s nose aren’t the only ones it has. Cats also have whiskers above their eyes, on their chin and jaw line, and on the back of their front legs.

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When a cat is exploring, it uses its whiskers as feelers, brushing lightly against objects. That sensory data tells the cat some important information, such as the size of objects it encounters and the space between that object and another.

Even when the cat is sitting quietly, it’s whiskers are working. If you ever wonder why it’s hard to sneak up on your cat, you can blame his whiskers, which act like an early warning system. A slight change in the air currents can signal the approach of someone or something, alerting the cat instantly.

The whiskers also detect the movement of prey when the cat is in hot pursuit, which is one of the things that makes cats such amazing hunters.

Cats also have a sensory organ at the end of their whiskers called a proprioceptor, which also sends messages to the brain. The proprioceptors give the cat information on the positions of its body and limbs, and that, along with vision, helps the cat make those death defying, graceful leaps from point A to point B.

If you trim a cat’s whiskers, it often will become disoriented and have trouble moving around. A lost whisker will eventually grow back, but the cat will miss even one. Cutting the whiskers is akin to lopping off the ends of our fingers. We would manage, but it would be more difficult and we’d lose so much of our sensory perception.

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Where would your cat be without its whiskers? From a visual point of view, it wouldn’t look as cute, of course, but whiskers do have an important job to do! They are your cat’s ultimate sensory tool, and although they look like hairs, they are thicker and longer than normal hair, and are in fact highly sensitive radars.

Why do cats have whiskers?

When we draw a cat, we always draw their whiskers coming out either side of their nose, but did you know they have whiskers (vibrissae) over the rest of their body too - and they all have a job to do:

Whiskers either side of a cat’s nose, are called the mystacial whiskers. Cats use these whiskers to measure the environment they are in - like a built-in tape measure. They have 12 of these whiskers either side of their nose, completely symmetrical, which will help them work out if they will fit through an opening.
Around their eyebrows, they have the superciliary whiskers. These whiskers help protect your cat’s eyes and detect any movement around the eyes, causing them to blink and protect the eye from injury.
Along their chin, there’s the genal whiskers. These do a similar job to the superciliary whiskers, particularly useful when your cat is prowling through long grass or bushes; they trigger a blink that will protect your cat’s eyes from being damaged.
And on the back of their forelegs just above their paws, their whiskers are called the carpal whiskers. Domestic cats will be well fed at home, but sometimes they instinctively like to hunt and the carpal whiskers help with this. Cats have great long sighted vision but can’t see things very well up close, which means if their prey is very near, they cannot always see it clearly. The carpal whiskers help them detect their prey so that they can sense, pounce and catch and keep it close with their claws.

How do cat’s whiskers work?

Whiskers are part of a cat’s sensory system which sends information to their brain. They sense vibrations in the air currents around them and detect moving prey or even sense approaching danger.

Anything closer than 30 cm is not clear to a cat, so whiskers act as a navigation tool in their environment – their whiskers are so sensitive they can detect where something is, its size and also its texture.

You can also tell how your cat is feeling from their body language and by their whiskers. If their whiskers are flat against their face, it could mean your cat is feeling anxious or threatened. A relaxed and happy cat will have their whiskers fanned out to the side of their face, but a curious cat will move their whiskers forward to explore or hunt.

How do I look after my cat’s whiskers

Whiskers are vital to a cat’s feline sensors, so they should never be cut or trimmed. If a cat’s whiskers are removed, they will lose all sense of their surroundings and feel disoriented.

There’s no need to clean a cat or their whiskers. A cat will clean its whiskers in their normal grooming process, usually beginning with cleaning around their face and whiskers first, followed by the rest of their body from top to tail.

Old whiskers do fall out but are replaced by new ones, and as your cat grows older, they may turn darker in colour - this is normal. However, if you notice that your cat is losing whiskers more frequently or they break off, get them checked by a vet in case there are any underlying medical issues.

Don’t worry if your cat has curly whiskers! Some breeds, such as the Selkirk Rex, have curly hair and curly whiskers - this is absolutely beautiful and normal.

Where you may think that your cat’s whiskers are limited to just around their nose, they’re also above their eyes, ears, jaw and forelegs!

The whiskers on their forelegs (carpal whiskers) are one of the reasons they’re such successful hunters as they help to determine movement of prey.

Your cat’s whiskers also serve to protect your cat’s sensitive spots from possible danger or injury. The whiskers around their eyes respond to the tiniest touch (even a small speck of dust), allowing your kitty to shake or blink to remove it.