Why do DOGS and cats have whiskers?

Answer 1

I've always heard that a cat has whiskers to maintain balance. I'd assume the same for dogs:)

Answer 2

Why Do Cats Have Whiskers
Whiskers help the cat feel his way around. Whiskers are so sensitive that they can detect the slightest directional change in a breeze. At night, for example, this helps a cat slink its way through a room and not bump into anything. How? The air currents in the room change depending on where pieces of furniture are located. As the cat walks through the room and approaches the couch, he'll know which direction to turn based on the change in air current around the couch.
In addition to having sensory properties, a cat's whiskers are also a good indicator of his mood. When a cat is angry or feels defensive, the whiskers will be pulled back. Otherwise, when the cat is happy, curious or content, the whiskers will be more relaxed and pushed forward.
But the whisker's primary use is to help a cat judge whether or not he'll fit through an opening. A cat's whiskers are roughly as wide as his body -- sort of a natural ruler. The whisker tips are sensitive to pressure. You'll probably see a cat stick his head in and out of an opening before he puts his body in. He's judging the width of the opening, and is determining if he can fit into it. An interesting note: cats don't have a true collar bone, like humans. This allows them to turn and twist their way through very narrow openings.

Why Do Dogs Have Whiskers
Whiskers are the stiff hairs on the dog's face. They occur in clusters and serve as sensory structures — anything brushing against these whiskers stimulates Rusty to close his eyes, pull away, turn his head, paw his face, or shake his head.

Answer 3

If you look at a Cat's whiskers you will notice that the whiskers are the same width as the body. If a cat needs to know if they can fit through an opening they will test it with the whiskers first. If the whiskers fit, the cat will fit.

Also, to clarify, the whiskers are only as wide as the cat can fit, not always the width of the whole body.

Answer 4

Why do many animals have whiskers? — Whiskers are coarse hairs embedded in the skin of an animal's face. When they brush against something (like tall grass, or a wall), whiskers cause nerves in the skin where they are attached to send a message to the animal's brain. This tells the animal that it has touched something.

Whiskers are especially useful in dark places, or at night when it is more difficult for the animal to see. Maybe animals find their way in dark places by feeling around with their whiskers. Like our eyelashes, some whiskers tell an animal when to close its eyes for protection. Whiskers are another example of God's wise design in nature.

Answer 5

Dogs and cats have whiskers to help them feel their way in dark or cramped spaces. The whiskers are each "mapped" to a specific location in the brain (and some interesting research has been done on animals whose whiskers have been kept short during brain development to back this up), and act as very fine "sensors" to help the animal determine what is nearby.

Answer 6

Cat whiskers on their face are as wide as their head and the whiskers above their eyes are as tall as their ears, so that they know how big of a hole they fit thru.

Dog's it isn't the same, it's more of a sense thing to see where things are, how close they are etc. But it won't help a dog from getting his head stuck in something :)

Answer 7

They are for sensory reasons, like if a cat is trying to squeeze through a small face she can feel her whiskers brushing against whatever is on the other side.

Answer 8

i think i heard somewhere that whiskers let them know if they're going to be small enough to get through a gap or something

Answer 9

To help them balance, feel wind direction, and feel in the dark (although that parts mostly for the cats).

Answer 10

It's an extra way for them to sense "touch." It is helpful for them in situations where they have to manuever through narrow passages. Since their wiskers stick out around their face, they can sense how close they are to things around them.

Hopefully that made sense.