My daughter has clipped one of our cat's whiskers?

Question

Does it matter? Do the whiskers do anything? Will it grow back? She didn't mean any harm; should she be severely punished?

Answer 1

Cats do use their whiskers for feeling out spaces, navigation, and expressing certain moods. That being said, I don't think one whisker is going to do too much harm, and it will grow back. Your cat will be fine. As for your daughter....punishment depends on her age. A toddler will only need to be told that they hurt kitty when they did that (most young children are sensitive enough to feel bad). If your daughter is older and SHOULD know better, consider punishment. My son cut chunks of our cat's hair out earlier this year....and he's 7. Yes, he was punished because he DID know better.

But don't totally ignore it. She needs to know what she did was wrong.

Here's a good article about whiskers;
http://science.howstuffworks.com/question592.htm

Answer 2

Young children love to use the scissors -- on their baby brothers hair, the fringe on a throw rug, etc. Don't punish your daughter severely. Explain that the cat needs its whiskers to judge the width of a space he wants to go into. The whiskers extend out to the width of its body and helps it judge if there is enough space so he won't get stuck. I'm sure you can give this explanation in a less pedantic way then I have.

You have to watch her when she wants to treat the cat like her "dolly", giving medicine, cutting hair, and even feeding something the cat shouldn't have like cooked meat with bones in it. Explain that KFC is not an appropriate food for her kitty!

The cat's whiskers will grow back and it may take a while.

Answer 3

I've had cats get a little too curious about candles and singe most of their wiskers on one side. They grew back. In fact, my cats shed whiskers all the time, they are constantly growing. The whiskers help cats sense things near their faces. Losing one isn't going to be a big deal. Don't go to hard on your daughter.

Answer 4

The whiskers are used as "sensors" and should therefore not be trimmed although it won't really do any harm 2 the cat. They will grow back just don't let your daughter go wild and cut off all the whiska's. Ya know wot I'm sayin?!

Answer 5

Awww... your cat will be fine. When he was a kitten, my cat got too close to a candle and singed off some whiskers. They never grew back right, but he seems to do okay. Just tell your daughter not to use sharp things around the cat.

Answer 6

I have seen a whisker fall out just one, the cat well be ok

Answer 7

It will not bother the cat to lose one whisker. Now...if she cut them all that would be a different story. Cats shed their whiskers so it will grow back.

I would just explain to your daughter (depending on her age) that your cat needs to have his whiskers so that he doesn't bump into things. They help him feel his surroundings.

Answer 8

The whiskers help the kitty know what spaces they can fit through. They are the size of the biggest part of their body. It won't hurt them not to have them. She should understand the importance of not harming the animal for sure though. You don't want it to escalate.

Answer 9

Just make sure it wasn't clipped too close down to the cat's face. They are kind of like 'feelers' for the cat. Mainly just big hairs.
But they are connected to a nerve if down too close. Its very sensitive.
Whiskers do grow back. Don't punish your child, but make her understand that its not a good idea to try to hurt the kitty. 'Be nice'. Thats what I tell my 1 year old who trys to maul our very patient cat lol.

Answer 10

That is not okay. The cat will be at a disadvantage in his world. Whiskers do not grow back. tell your child this was a very bad thing to do . brink the cat to the vet for examination.