Scooterpaws
  • Home
  • About
  • Testimonials
  • Services & Rates
  • Contact
  • Scooterblog

Scooterblog 

Why Do Cats Have Whiskers?

7/19/2018

 
Picture

Sensitive, versatile whiskers

24 brilliant hairs at work

You may think a cat can see in the dark, but it’s really the whiskers that are doing the work. Twenty-four mobile hairs, called vibrissae, sense vibrations in the air and can detect the presence, size and shape of obstacles without ever seeing or touching them. This makes whiskers a powerful hunting tool.

There's a ruler on your face

Whiskers help a cat assess if she can make it through a passage. A cat’s body is about the same width as her whiskers, which act like a built-in ruler. The tips are pressure-sensitive. Have you ever seen a cat pause at an opening and stick her head through and back before she continues? She's checking the width of the opening and judging if she can fit.
Picture

Specially designed hairs

Whiskers are specialized hairs. They're rooted more firmly in the body to connect with muscles and nerves, and are thicker and longer. Cats have whiskers above their eyes, too.
Picture

Legs with eyes

Did you know cats also have whiskers on the backs of their front legs? They offer another hunting advantage by telling cats if their prey is moving.
Picture

How long can whiskers grow?

If you ever wondered how long a cat’s whiskers can grow, Missi, a Maine Coon living in Finland, holds the record for the longest whiskers of any cat, measuring 7.5 inches long. Hmm, maybe this fella is a relative.
Picture

Comments are closed.

    Author

    Living and enjoying life with furry friends in the East Bay

    Have a blog topic to suggest?
    I'd love to hear it
    .

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    February 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    May 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018

andrea@scooterpaws.com
  • Home
  • About
  • Testimonials
  • Services & Rates
  • Contact
  • Scooterblog