Mr. Holocaust (long story) is kinda getting a lil long in the whisker area. I want to cut them off but he's hard little bastard to catch! I'm gonna have to pin him down hard and shut his mouth with some rubber bands or something (he bites harder than my GF! LOL!) Anyway, wanna take them long whiskers off, but just a massive lightbulb lighted up above my head all cartoon like...is it ok to do so? Would he become cross eyed or a retard or something?
2006-12-18 07:12:25 · 28 answers · asked by cryingrainbow 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
Don't cut them!!!! They lose confidence and they also use them as measurement for squeezing into places.... So don't do it!!! Otherwise he'll be more pissy then your gf when she's pmsing... Lol.... Just going with your joke.... meant it in no offence to your gf
2006-12-18 09:25:07 · answer #1 · answered by ~*Stephie*~ 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cats whiskers are there to keep them balanced, or that's what I've been told. Cut them and he may have problems walking straight.
Um... whiskers are like bug's feelers, they help a cat "see" in the dark because the follicles they grow from are incredibly sensitive *think, if you have like, an uber long bead on a labret stud, like a spike, you know when it's been touched because you feel the movement in the fisula. could be bad example for you, but you get the idea*
But don't cut the kittie's whiskers.
Contrary to what some people are saying a whisker is just a thick hair pretty much, but it's the base where all the nerves and stuff are. Cat wouldn't feel it anymore than you'd feel it when you get a haircut. But the length of the whiskers is very important, it has to do with the same reason that it feels different if someone touches the hair on your arm and the hair on your head. Length matters. But there are no nerves in the hair any more than there are nerves in the hairs growing off of your head.
2006-12-18 07:21:03 · answer #2 · answered by mandy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I really hope you are kidding with this answer. It is abusive to trim a cat's whiskers. They are used by the cat for navigation, especially at night or in areas with low light. Additionally, they help a cat determine whether he/she can fit through an opening. I've even read that to trim all of the whiskers will make the cat incapable of standing up.
Please don't trim your cat's whiskers. He won't feel comfortable moving anywhere - cats really use the whiskers to navigate, not the ears or eyes.
2006-12-18 07:40:14 · answer #3 · answered by mariejessie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cats have four rows of whiskers on each side of their face. Whiskers (technically known as “vibrissae”) are very responsive to touch, vibrations, and possibly even sound waves. Cats use their whiskers as “feelers,” helping them judge their ability to fit into certain places and negotiate their way around obstacles. They help a cat keep their balance as well. The whiskers that protrude from above the eyes help protect the eyes. If a leaf, twig, or blade of grass hits the whiskers first, cats will reflexively blink, preventing that object from contact the eye. Whiskers are not hollow.
2006-12-18 07:23:04 · answer #4 · answered by Matt 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, cutting off a cat's whiskers is pretty bad for the cat, but honestly, a huge number of these answers are massive overreactions. It is nowhere near the equivalent of cutting off a human's arms or cutting out someone's eyes. Furthermore, whiskers grow back, arms and eyes don't. Stop exaggerating so much, people.
2006-12-18 09:37:36 · answer #5 · answered by G 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would not. Whiskers (vibrissae is the actual term) provide tactile sensation to the critters that have them. It allows them navigate in the dark without relying on sight. It won't cause them pain by cutting them, but it would be about the same has having no sense of touch in our fingertips and trying to find our way through a dark house.
chinchilla's have whiskers up to about 1/3 body length.
2006-12-18 07:20:35 · answer #6 · answered by Phentari 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No! Don't take them off! Whiskers help cats sense their environments.
They help cats by letting them know whether or not they'll fit through an opening.
By removing them, you can make it harder for him to get around. He may think he can fit somewhere, because his whiskers don't hit the sides, and he could get stuck!
Think about if someone cut out one of your eyes... It'd be bad, wouldn't it?
2006-12-18 07:16:55 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Do this if you would like to cut off his whisker. Cut off your arms and try to keep your balance while walking. The cat's whisker is a balancer for the cat, along with the tail.
2006-12-18 07:26:36 · answer #8 · answered by Cool Guy 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, you really shouldn't cut or trim his whiskers as they have been linked to helping a cat not only with balance but with what size entryway they can fit into. If your cats whiskers are very long it is probably true that he is pretty wide. He needs them. Don't trim them.
Take care.
2006-12-18 07:18:51 · answer #9 · answered by heatheaw 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You should not cut your cats's whiskers EVER. Their whiskers help them determine where things are.
If you are that bored why don't you shave off your eyebrows and eyelashes and leave the cat alone?
2006-12-18 07:33:31 · answer #10 · answered by msnite1969 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should NEVER cut off a cats wiskers, they are for balance, and those are not like nails or hair, the ends of the whiskers have nerve endings and it will be painful to the cat if you do it.
2006-12-18 07:17:45 · answer #11 · answered by m_thurson 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋