Why Do Cats Have Whiskers
Whiskers are like little pieces of armor for cats.
Why do cats have whiskers. At home whiskers help domestic cats locate their food bowls or favorite toys at night. Cats use their whiskers to measure their distances to objects. Whiskers detect very faint vibrations caused by these changes in air currents and act like radar detectors.
Whiskers help cats evaluate their immediate surroundings and are also one of the cats features whose existence is deeply rooted in the life of their ancestors. In the wild whiskers can alert a cat to the presence of prey potential enemies or the location of his pack. For example cats have superciliary whiskers or eyebrows for kitties These whiskers catch any little particle that could potentially fall into a cats eye from above.
Cats want to explore everything due to their extremely curious nature. Cats can have allergies just like we can have allergies. When an object brushes or air flows up against a whisker the sensitive hair.
It is also a good idea to stick to wide shallow bowls or plates for feeding as some cats can develop upset stomachs if their whiskers are being forced to bend to reach their food. Cats rarely shed their whiskers hence finding one is seen as good luck. The proprioceptors send messages to the brain regarding the position of the body and limbs to keep the cat aware of what every part of his body is doing.
That said each cat whisker follicle can be associated with as many as 100-200 neurons and overstimulation of the whisker or whisker fatigue is a real issue. For example cats have superciliary whiskers or eyebrows for kitties These whiskers catch any little particle that could potentially fall into a cats eye from above. Their placement all over a cats head helps protect a cat from the little things that can do serious damage to its eyes and face.
Whiskers are body balancers. Another reason why cats have whiskers is because they are so useful for this animal in terms of their movement and location it is not surprising that they also use them to express their mood or feelings. If you want to know more about feline morphology and behavior this AnimalWised video on Why do CATS have WHI.