I heard that if you cut off a cats whiskers it would go crazy or something... I would NEVER do that I was just wondering if it was true and if it is why?
2006-12-23 06:34:52 · 23 answers · asked by Lissa 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
Hi Lissa...cats whiskers serves two purposes:
(1) at the base of the whiskers (also known as vibrissae) they have extraordinary masses of nerves which pick up vibrations through the whiskers
(2) to determine if they can fit their body through an opening by first poking their head into the hole to measure and/or prevent them from bumping into objects.
More on purposes whiskers serve:
http://www.chienworks.com/kelly/thecats/whiskers.html
http://www.moggies.co.uk/html/whiskers.html
2006-12-23 08:07:34 · answer #1 · answered by ♪ Seattle ♫ 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
No the cat doesn't go crazy but it does get upset. Sometimes upset enough to compel it to run away from home. Whiskers help the cat sense its way, through bushes, holes, etc specially at night. It is an important part of the cat and must not be trimmed or cut, only unless they become too long and start drooping at the edges. That is when the whisker can be trimmed but only a little bit. And also remember that like us animals have feelings too. They feel when given a bath, or when being fed, when being loved and when being punished.
2006-12-23 06:44:57 · answer #2 · answered by Ladeeda 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Cats use their whiskers to detect danger. My little brother cut off our cats whiskers when he was two. It didn't go crazy, but it would sometimes run into things on accident, and we scared her sometimes when she saw us because she didn't know we were walking up behind her. The whiskers grew back after a few months.
2006-12-23 07:28:02 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
cat whiskers serve as a measuring device. a cat's head plus the length of it's whiskers is equal to about the cat's widest point. it tells a cat whether or not it can fit through something. at least, this is what i heard.
2006-12-23 16:17:23 · answer #4 · answered by happyinblue 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Your cat can't see very well in the dark. they use there whiskers in judging if they can get through a space or not. If you cut them off they wouldn't know and would probably run into a wall
2006-12-23 06:52:15 · answer #5 · answered by amanda J 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
if a cat can get its head through a small opening without whiskers touching the sides, it knows it's butt will fit through the opening, without whiskers, they'd get stuck in everything, cats rely on their whiskers to guage a lot of things due to sensitivity at the base where the nerves are in the pore
2006-12-23 06:45:20 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
a cats whiskers serve the purpose of letting them know how big of a space there is and if they can fit through, also for balance.
2006-12-23 06:44:27 · answer #7 · answered by dread 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
i think i've heard somewhere the the whiskers tell the cat if it can go through something, ex. a door that's not shut all the way, if they're small enough
2006-12-23 06:37:23 · answer #8 · answered by butterflylori995 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
it lets them tell spacial area. if the cat's whiskers are touching on both sides chances are the body will not fit through an area.
2006-12-23 06:38:29 · answer #9 · answered by ZENOBIA 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They use their whiskers to sense how whether they can go through a gap or not.
2006-12-23 06:37:59 · answer #10 · answered by patsy 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋