Cat parents are all praise for every feature of their cats. But if there is one factor that makes them adorable, at least for me, a die-hard cat fan, are their whiskers. In my opinion, they give your cat the majestic look that they deserve. But can you trim cat whiskers? What can happen if you cut cat’s whiskers? Let us try finding out.
You should never cut or trim cat whiskers. Cats need their whiskers to understand their surroundings. Trimming the cat whiskers can make your furry friend lose their spatial awareness and make them disoriented. Whiskers tend to be a good sensory organ for finding their way in the dark and judging the space between objects.
What are Cat Whiskers?
Before moving on to find out what do cat whiskers do, we will check out what are cat whiskers and why do they exist. Cat whiskers are the coarse and thick hair that originate from the whisker follicles located deep inside the skin. Scientifically also known as vibrissae, they are much more sensitive when compared to the other hair or fur on your cat’s body.
Whiskers grow from the follicles, which have a huge number of nerve endings. In fact, the whiskers are considered to be as sensitive or even more sensitive as the human fingertips. While we notice the whiskers on a cat’s cheeks, they also have whiskers above their eyes, on their jawline and also on their legs.
What do Cat Whiskers do?
Cat whiskers help the cat navigate through and perceive the environment around them. They can sense the vibrations in the air and thus find the distance between the objects, air and air currents. Whiskers also help the cat in identifying the dangers, if any, nearby.
Each of the hair in the whiskers has nerve endings that help the cat in judging the distance. They also help them detect the things around them. In fact, even if your cat is blinded, it can move around freely with the help of their whiskers, which help it understand where it is spatially.
The whiskers on the side of the nose are of the exact size of your cat’s body. They help the cat understand if they can squeeze through the congested spaces. Whiskers on their legs help the cats to climb the trees.
No, you should never trim cat whiskers. Whiskers for your cat are essential and without them, your cat may become imbalanced and may not be able to judge the space between objects. Whiskers also help your cat to find its way in the dark. Cutting or trimming cat whiskers can be disorienting and painful for your cat as an aftermath.
Trimming the cat whiskers can be akin to taking away part of their vision or sense of smell.
Whiskers Indicate the Mood of Your Cat!
Yes, Whiskers can give away the useful information on the mood of your cat. The relaxed whiskers indicate that your cat is calm. The whiskers that are pushed ahead suggest that the cat is curious about something and is looking to explore things. The pushed-back whiskers are indicative of an anxious or stressed state of mind.
If you notice that the whiskers are flattened against the cheeks, it may be indicative of the fact that they are angry or scared. In fact, cats are known to be experts in a non-verbal communication. Whiskers are one of the ways that cats show their emotions and they do it through eyes, ears and whiskers.
Can you Trim Cat Whiskers?
You should never trim a cat’s whiskers. If you do so, you will end up making them disoriented and lacking the sense of space around them. Whiskers are not made for any cosmetic purpose. They have a function of their own, and cutting the whiskers can leave the cat vulnerable to dangers.
Cutting whiskers does not cause any physical pain, but it can be much painful for the cat. It will lose its sense of space and judgment about the distance. In fact, cutting the cat whiskers is equivalent to blindfolding someone and leaving them in a foreign environment.
I Accidentally Clipped My Cat’s Whiskers. Will They Grow Back?
Yes, whiskers grow back. Even when you cut a cat’s whiskers by mistake, these whiskers do grow back. However, until the time they grow back, your cat can remain disoriented and may lack the sense of space and distance accurately. However, for the cat whiskers to grow back, the follicles should not be damaged. Accidentally cut cat whiskers normally grow back in six weeks, but until then, you may need to take care of your cat.
It can take a couple of months for the cat’s whiskers to grow back. Until the whiskers grow back to their normal size, it is advisable to keep your cat indoors. So, if you have accidentally cut the cat’s whiskers, make sure not to leave the cat to move outdoors.
What Happens if You Cut Cat Whiskers?
Cats have whiskers for a specific purpose. You can compare cats’ whiskers to the GPS that WWE use on our phones or the compass you would carry when roaming through the jungles. When you cut a cat’s whiskers, you make them disoriented, and have issues finding their way around. It can also make them vulnerable to injuries.
Unless you have a specific reason, such as something related to health or surgery, you should never indulge in trimming whiskers.
Wondering what happens when you cut cat whiskers? Well, it can have serious effect on your cat’s well-being. Cutting cat whiskers can result in issues such as disorientation, decreased spatial awareness, decreased agility and clumsy sort of behaviour in your cat.
Let us explore the after effects of cutting cat whiskers in detail –
The deprived senses
The cat whiskers provide you with a sense of touch. If you cut them, the cat will lose the sense of touch. Without a whisker, your cat will feel as if it is walking blind. It will not be able to gauge the distance between the objects and space.
Whiskers help the cat in navigating around. Without them, your cat will find it challenging to move through the unfamiliar spaces. They would find it difficult to find their way around. In fact, with their whiskers cut, the cat may also feel insecure about moving around.
An increase in stress and anxiety
Without the whiskers, the cat may begin feeling an increased level of stress and anxiety. Losing an essential sensory input can make them feel quite traumatic. It will make the cat anxious and stressed out.
Possibilities of injury
With no whiskers, the cat will not be able to gauge the distance between the objects. They would perhaps be more prone to collide with the objects or may even get lost without being able to navigate properly.
When Should You Trim Cat’s Whiskers?
While in most of the cases, you should never trim or cut the cat whiskers. It may be necessary in certain exceptional circumstances where it may be essential to trim or cut the whiskers.
Procedures approved by the vets
Your cat may require a surgery or a medical procedure. If you need to trim whickers for this purpose, you can get them trimmed. This is, in fact, the last resort and the vet will do it an eventuality for the sake of the well-being of the cat.
Trimming excessively long whiskers
Some cats may grow whiskers really long, which may cause the issues such as tangling and matting. This is again, a rare case, and you will need to consult a professional groomer or a veterinarian to help you trim the cat whiskers.
In both these cases, the cat whiskers should be trimmed only under the guidance of the professional groomers and veterinarians. The decision should be taken only after taking the minimised level of negative impacts to help avoid issues.
Do Cats’ Whiskers Grow Back After Being Cut?
Yes, whiskers grow back in cats when they are cut, trimmed, broken and even naturally shed. However, it does take some time for them to grw back. Until that time, your cat may feel disoriented and may not understand the distance and may lack spatial awareness.
Just like other hair or fur on the cat’s body, whiskers too fall off. However, it may be noted that not all whiskers fall off at once except in the case of any illness. The whiskers may fail to grow back when the hair follicles are damaged. If the root of the hair has any issues, the whiskers may grow in a very irregular manner. If you have cut or trimmed your cat’s whiskers, it may take around six to twelve weeks for them to grow back to the normal size. Until then, it is advisable to keep your cat indoors to avoid any injury.
Can Cats Feel Pain in Their Whiskers?
Cats have no nerve endings in the whiskers. That would mean cats do not feel pain in the whiskers. However, whiskers can be quite sensitive and can cause something called whisker fatigue in cats. Putting a lot of pressure on the cat whiskers can make it get uncomfortable.
Even when whiskers do not make the cat feel pain, they are important for its overall well-being. Cats make use of their whiskers to learn more about their surroundings. Each of the whiskers have receptorss designed to find even the minutest of changes in the environment. In essence, these whiskers acts as radar for your cat, especially when navigating at night.
The Final Words
Your cat whiskers are important and help them stay safe. Cutting or trimming the whiskers is never painful, but it will deprive your cat of the much-needed sense of orientation and navigation. Whiskers help your cat understand their surroundings. Avoid brushing the whiskers aggressively or trimming them.
Whiskers are an important sensory organs and are the GPS of your feline friends. Take care of them and let your cat live a stress-free life.
Do cats whiskers grow back if accidentally cut?
Yes, Cat whiskers eventually grow back after being cut, trimmed or naturally fallen off. However, if the follicles have been damaged, there may be no chance of them growing back. However, that can be a very rare case. Cats shed their whiskers and grow them back, but not all whiskers shed off at the same time.
Is it painful for cats to cut their whiskers?
Cat whiskers are akin to human hair and nails and thus have no nerves. Cutting or trimming them does not cause any physical pain. However, cutting them can make them disoriented as the whiskers have a sensory organ at the end of the root or follicle.
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