Is it okay to trim cat whiskers (please read about situation first before you answer)?

Question

My dad cuts my cat's whiskers and I wanted to know if it was okay. Basically, my dad is cutting them because he heard that cat's judge space by their whiskers. (how big a space they can fit into kinda thing). Well, my cat is 18 years old, and her room in the house is the downstairs bathroom. Recently, we remodeled it, but when we put the washer and dryer back, they didn't quite fit and now there is a gap between the washer/dryer and the wall. Our cat likes to go behind there in this little space, and we try not to let her go behind there, but she does anyways. The problem with that is that she stays behind there, and because she's an old cat, she'll be lazy and just stay back there and do her business back there. It's a big enough space for her to fit, it's not like she's fat and she's gonna get stuck back there, she's a small cat for 18, but I was wondering if it was still okay that my dad was using his electric shaver and trimming her whiskers.

we've tried blocking the area by putting towels in the 2 spots (there's 2 openings) and we've tried putting the paper towel rolls there (brand new ones, they're thick enough to cover the opening). Our best idea at the moment is to just keep her occupied (we have to constantly watch her because she is such a lazy cat and she loves to do her business around the whole house. thanks to her, we have no living room, we had to tear up all the carpet). But we're worried about leaving her alone during the day.

my dad already kinda cut the whiskers about a week ago, and we're trying to get him to stop. her whiskers were extremely long and they did touch the sides of the washer, she just went back there anyways.

thought i might add, for 18 she sure don't act it! she acts more like a little kitty with the looks of a kitty. she's tried jumping (ended up with her breaking her leg) and putting her in a crate makes her upset because then she thinks she's going to the vet. we don't torture our cat, her bathroom has her bed and a kitty bin and everything, she is just a mischevious cat who likes to get herself into trouble, and this is just one of those things that she does to frustrate us. we love our cat, we're just looking for a solution.

Answer 1

NOOOOOOOOOO
Whiskers, or vibrissae, serve as delicate sense organs of touch and are the equivalent to our fingertips. These whiskers are sensitive to vibrations in air currents: As the air moves, the whiskers vibrate, and cats use messages in these vibrations to sense the presence, size and shape of nearby objects without seeing or touching them.

Cats have about 24 moveable whiskers, twelve on either side of his nose, arranged in four rows in a pattern as individual as our fingerprints. The strongest and thickest are in the middle rows. Small groups of whiskers are situated on other parts of the body as well: high on the outer edges of the cheeks, above the eyes, and on the back of the front legs (carpal vibrissae or “paw whiskers”). Carpal vibrissae are common in carnivores that grasp their prey with their forelegs.

Whiskers are more than twice as thick as ordinary hairs, and their roots are set three times deeper. They are connected to muscle, which allows them to be moved backwards and forwards, and the bottom two rows can move independently of the top two. Whiskers are richly supplied with nerve endings, making each an intricate receptor that allows your cat to sense even the smallest changes in the environment, such as air currents, changes in air pressure, temperature or wind direction.

It’s a misconception that cats can see in the dark. Their night vision is better than ours, but it is the whiskers that allow him to get around in the dark. Interestingly, cats that are born blind grow longer and thicker whiskers than sighted cats and they use them to a greater extent. In fact, kittens in the womb grow their whiskers before any other hair, and at birth they are fully functional, while the ears and eyes are not.

Answer 2

Trimming Cat Whiskers

Answer 3

Think about that question. Really think about it. If a cat judges the space it can enter by the whiskers, if you trim the whiskers it will give the cat more room to work with. Logically the longer the whiskers the wider the space it can get into becomes, the shorter they are the smaller the space becomes. If you want to stop your cat from going back there, there is a very simple solution. Build a barrier. All you need is a peice of wood that will sit between the washer/dryer and a peice to stand it up on, like an "L" shape. This will make it impossible for the cat to get between there. This will not only make it a cleaner environment (the cat will not do its business back there) but will also keep the cat out of harms way. Simplicity. Hope that helped! Oh, and to answer the original question, no do not trim a cats whiskers, they are there for a reason, that is like trimming a humans eyelashes. It is unnecessary and works against nature. So tell him to stop!!

Answer 4

Hold up. Everyone is acting a bit crazy and outraged to a crazy extent.

Simple answer is it depends. Generally I'd say don't do it.

The cat whiskers are thick sets of hairs more deeply rooted in the face. At the root is a cluster of nerves and muscles that respond to vibrations from the whiskers. They tell the cat about wind direction, size of an opening (ex: you'll get stuck in that pipe, your eye will get poked, etc), and help it adjust to wind.
Contrary to what some over zealous owners may say, the lack of nerves within the whisker itself means that trimming them won't be felt at all.

Again to answer your question, it depends. If it's an outdoor cat I'd say absolutely not. A lot of bad things could happen to it outside. Could get stuck, being the biggest concern.

On an indoor cat I'd say it's not an issue, go ahead. As long as he's never allowed outside. He'll still be able to gauge openings and jumps perfectly fine. Few to no hazards inside. And they will grow back.

Answer 5

Do Cat Whiskers Grow Back

Answer 6

Never cut or trim a cat's whiskers. They use them to sense the world around them.

My guess is that your cat has found a nice, warm spot behind the dryer! And it's probably relatively quiet, too. At age 18, my guess is that she's not very active.

Since this spot is a problem for the family, you should block it off. Then find her another location. Try lining a box with a warm blanket and place it in a draft-free area. Ideally, put it where it will get some sun during the day. And put a litterbox nearby, as well as some fresh water.

Answer 7

It's not okay. Worse than that though, what your dad is doing is the exact WRONG thing to do.

Think about it for a second: If a can tries to enter a space and it's whiskers touch both sides, the cat will know the space is too small. If you cut the whiskers, they won't touch the sides any more, and the cat will think that a space that is TOO SMALL, is really okay. Your dad is INCREASING the chance that your cat will get stuck somewhere!

Best bet: Tape strips of cardboard to the sides of the washer and dryer, so they extend beyond the back edge and make the space behind look smaller to the cat.

Answer 8

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Is it okay to trim cat whiskers (please read about situation first before you answer)?
My dad cuts my cat's whiskers and I wanted to know if it was okay. Basically, my dad is cutting them because he heard that cat's judge space by their whiskers. (how big a space they can fit into kinda thing). Well, my cat is 18 years old, and her room in the house is the downstairs...

Answer 9

Personally, i think that trimming a cat's whiskers is a bad idea. Just place a box of some kind or something in the openings where the cat enters. Cats' whiskers are one of the most important parts of their body, and cutting it would be like ruining their sense of touch/space/distance.

Answer 10

Okay, hope this helps. Don't trim her whiskers. I understand why your Dad is doing it, but it really is cruel. How about a large crate, like a big dog cage. Enough room for a litter box, food and water,and room to move around. Put in something comfortable to sleep on. She's old and probably sleeps most of the time anyway. This way when you let her out, you can spend quality time with her and she won't be able to destroy the house. Sound like a good compromise?

Answer 11

Defintely NOT ok to cut her whiskers... A cats whiskers are like "feelers", just as you've said... Trimming would almost be like cutting off the tips of a humans fingers, so he couldn't feel things with them...
If anything, fill the spaces behind the washing machine, so she can't go back there, and put a litter bin in the bathroom so you can leave her there when you go out.