Why do Cats have wiskers?

Answer 1

For balance and feeling their way in small space, especially at night.

About 30 years ago my sister, who was 3 at the time, cut my cat's whiskers off. Until they grew back ( I don't remember how long that took.) she would not venture out of my room at night. If she had to "go" she would wake me up, pawing at my face. I would have to carry her to the litter box. Poor cat.

Answer 2

A cat is a master hunter, equipped with the lastest and best hunting technology nature has to offer.
As part of the accessories to the well-designed carriage and engine, the cat is endowed with special facial hairs. These range from the whiskers to other hairs found above the eyebrows and around the ears etc. They all have different functions but mostly serve to heighten the cat's senses. Some people say whiskers allow a cat to judge the size of a hole it can squeeze through. Since it also hunts mostly at night, whiskers act like a blind person's walking stick, held out in countless directions to help a cat make better judgement. Other also claim they act like a tightrope walker's pole, to help keep him balanced as the cat performs those death defying acts of agility. Most importantly, a cat HAS to have whiskers because it's what makes em SO DARN CUTE!!! Which other animal can pull of a mustache? And a goatee just won't cut it! Hehehehe..

Answer 3

Because they would look bloody stupid with antlers

Biologists believe that whiskers have to do with body size. It has been noted that as a cat's body gets wider, the whiskers grow to match the body size. This leads science to theorize that cat's use them to not get stuck in holes, etc.
Other theories range from balance - pretty much a disproved theory, to the ability to pick up changes in the air (like the detector in the movie Alien).
Nobody is quite sure about cat senses, some theories indicate that they use eyes, ears, whiskers, and even the tongue and the roof of their mouth - ever noticed a cat with it's mouth open as if it was tasting the breeze?- in ways that we really couldn't imagine.

Answer 4

Cats have whiskers for several reasons. Their whiskers assist with their incredible ability to smell things. They are also the cats "guiding ante nae". If a cat can get his/her head (including whiskers) thru any space, the whole body can get thru. Whiskers also assist a cat with balance and may play a role in why cats always land on their feet. Hope this sheds a little light on the subject--and NEVER, EVER shave those whiskers off---they NEED them.

Answer 5

Cats have whiskers to help them "feel" their way in low-light conditions. The nerves near the base of the whiskers map directly to sites in the brain that have to do with spatial orientation. This helps the cat to know if something is nearby when he is in dark conditions. Contrary to popular belief, however, cutting a cat's whiskers will not kill it; a whisker is simply a fairly stiff hair, and will grow back like any other hair.

Answer 6

The whiskers are used to judge distance. If the whiskers can fit through the door, so can the cat. The whiskers on the nose can fall out just like eye lashes.

Many people think whiskers are used for balance.

Answer 7

To help guide them through tight spots when its too dark for them to see. The whiskers are or should be as wide as its body so if its whiskers clear, all of it will. In the case of a fat cat it might get stuck.

Answer 8

cat's wiskers are called vibrissae and they have a muscle supply, nerve ending, and a little bit of blood. the vibrissae helps cats for balance and sensation.

Answer 9

Whiskers help cats to judge the size of passage ways.

Answer 10

to help them get around places. Basically to see if they can fit into small places to hide. Also i believe it helps with balance. I do know you never cut them off.