Some of my (orange tabby) cat's whiskers have been growing in black. It looks wierd so sometimes i just clip them off. Why are they doing this?!
2006-12-15 10:27:10 · 14 answers · asked by hill <3 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
You have got to be kidding.
Do not cut your cat's whiskers. Whiskers are extremely sensitive as they are closely connected to the nervous system. Any damage to his whiskers will cause your cat discomfort, and he may become confused or disoriented. DON'T ever trim his whiskers, and DON'T ever wash them, he will keep them clean himself. The scientific word for whiskers is vibrissae, a name that suggests their exquisite sensitivity to vibrations in air currents. As air swirls and eddies around objects, whiskers vibrate too. Cats use messages in these vibrations to sense the presence, size, and shape of obstacles without seeing or touching them. Whiskers are also good hunting tools. A cat whose whiskers have been damaged may bite the wrong part of a mouse it's attacking, indicating that signals from these delicate structures provide cats with vital information about the shape and activity of its prey - interestingly, whiskers also help cats smell odors.
2006-12-15 11:03:53 · answer #1 · answered by witchywoman143 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I don't know! But I do know its not a good idea to cut off a cats whiskers. They are a very important part of how the cat judges the size of an opening he can fit his body in. I just read that as a cat gets heavier his whiskers will grow to fit his body size. A black whisker or two will not distract from his appearance and your kitty will appreciate you not messing with them.
2006-12-15 18:35:04 · answer #2 · answered by ec1177 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋
A cat's whiskers are connected to very sensitive "sensor-cells" that's why I guess your cat isn't very happy when you're clipping off its whiskers
Well but I don't intend my getting offtopic :)
My opinion is you don't have to worry about those black whiskers, this could be normal. Your cat is cute just the way it is, and is gonna love you no matter it's got black whiskers or not. My fluffy kitten bites me and scratches me often, but I don't mind because I love it and I know it's a feline by nature :) and I know that's my kitten's way of saying "I love you!"
2006-12-15 19:00:33 · answer #3 · answered by Del Icious 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I've NEVER heard of ANYONE clipping their pets whiskers!!! ha ha ha... all the orange tabbies that i had had some black whiskers... its just natural nothing is wrong. Please dont clip ur cats whiskers... havnt u heard that if u do that u throw their balance off... geez. lol
2006-12-16 04:38:34 · answer #4 · answered by Brittany 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
ARE YOU INSANE!!!!!!!!! Dont go cutting your cat's whiskers, is a miracle that poor kitty has not gotten killed yet, cat's need their whiskers just like you need your ears, just cuz you get a pimple in your ear you wouldn't go and cut it right, this animals need that stuff and its perfectly normal for a cat to grow any type of color of whiskers, the kitty can't be that perfect you know.
leave the poor cat alone.
shame on you....(in a respectful way)
2006-12-15 18:34:53 · answer #5 · answered by ? 1 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Don't clip them off!!!! Cat whiskers are not like regular hairs. It's perfectly normal for them to sometimes be different colors. Leave them alone.
2006-12-15 18:33:31 · answer #6 · answered by Lauren M 4 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Whiskers can grow differnet colors...and you should STOP cutting your cats whiskers off...the cats need their whisker so they can feel the vibrations at night when they are hunting their food....thats if they were in the wild but still they need them still so dont cut them off anymore just leave them alone...hope this helps
~caring cat and dog owner~
2006-12-15 18:31:17 · answer #7 · answered by thesweetgirl1515@sbcglobal.net 2 · 7⤊ 0⤋
Don't cut them off! Your cat needs whiskers to know if he can fit into certain places, and also to protect himself in fights with other cats. (If he can't see, he feels the direction the mouse or other cat is moving with his whiskers.)
Cats change colors constantly over their lives, especially if they're not pure bred.
2006-12-15 18:55:46 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Stop cutting off your cats whiskers......
It would be the same as cutting off your nose......
Cats use their whiskers to 'feel' around them as the move. both for balance and for obstacles.
The color does not matter, but I am sure your cat is not too fond of you right now.....
2006-12-15 18:56:23 · answer #9 · answered by wolf560 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't matter what color or how wierd, please never cut the whiskers on a cat. They are what they are and your cat needs them all day, every day, to know where his face is in comparison with the rest of the world.
Added later: if you think of your cat as some sort of fashion accsessory, You Are Not A Cat Person. Please , love your kitty as he is.
2006-12-15 18:33:51 · answer #10 · answered by character 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋