What's the Purpose of Cat Whiskers?

The common response is that the whiskers arerespond. Photos of cats carrying mice in their jaws
feelers that enable a cat to tell whether an opening isafter capturing them show that the whiskers are
large enough for it to squeeze through, however theliterally enwrapped around the rodent's body,
fact is more complicated and more noteworthy.continuing to transmit information about the slightest
Besides their apparent purpose as feelers sensitive tomotion, should the prey still be alive. Because the cat
touch, the whiskers also function as air-currentis by nature predominantly a nocturnal hunter, its
sensors. As the cat moves along in the dark it needswhiskers are understandably vital to its survival.
to maneuver past solid objects without touchingAnatomically the whiskers are greatly enlarged and
them. Each solid object it comes near causes slightstiffened hairs more than double the thickness of
swirls in the air, minute disruptions in the air current,average hairs. They're embedded in the tissue of the
and the cat's whiskers are so amazingly sensitive thatcat's upper lip to a depth three times that of other
they are able to read these air shifts and react tohairs, and they're provided with a multitude of
the presence of solid obstructions even withoutnerve-endings which carry the information regarding
touching them.any contact they make or any shifts in air-pressure.
The whiskers are especially essential when the catOn average the cat has twenty four whiskers,
hunts at night. We recognize this from the followingtwelve on each side of the nose, formatted in four
observations: a cat with perfect whiskers can killhorizontal rows. They're able to move both
flawlessly both in the light and in the dark. A cat withfrontwards, when the cat is inquisitive, threatening, or
damaged whiskers can kill cleanly only in the light; inexamining something, and backwards, when it is
the dark it misjudges its killing-bite and plunges itsdefensive or purposely avoiding touching something.
teeth into the wrong section of the prey's body. ThisThe upper two rows can be moved independently of
signifies that in the dark, where precise visual sensethe lower two, and the strongest whiskers are in
is obstructed, healthy whiskers are capable ofrows two and three.
performing as a extremely sensitive guidance device.Technically whiskers are known as vibrissae and the
They have an amazing, split-second ability tocat features a number of these strengthened hairs
determine the body outline of the prey and guide theon different sections of its body; some on the
cat's bite to the nape of the animal's neck. Somehowcheeks, over the eyes, on the chin and, surprisingly,
the tips of the whiskers must show off the detailsat the backs of the front legs. All are sensitive
of the form of the prey, like a blind person readingsensors of motion, however it's the overly long
braille, and in a split second tell the cat how towhiskers that are by far the most crucial whiskers.