I was just curious if it is ok to trim my cats whiskers; as they are pretty long. What will happen if I trim his whiskers? Will it hurt him? Is it ok?
Thanks!
Bbstar0000
2007-04-01 16:02:14 · 37 answers · asked by bbstar0000 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
Thanks for all your help guys!
2007-04-01 17:51:06 · update #1
Nooooo... Don't!
Cat's whiskers help with their balance and not bumping into things. It's like an extra sense for them. Don't trim them, please!
2007-04-01 16:06:01 · answer #1 · answered by tamara_cyan 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Trimming your cat's whiskers is a bad thing. Physically, trimming his whiskers won't hurt him, but it will affect his balance and coordination. Cats use their whiskers to sort of feel their way in the dark and in small spaces. Basically, if his head will fit through a space without his whiskers being flattened, he knows that his body will fit through.
2007-04-01 16:09:25 · answer #2 · answered by Ashley 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Leave the whiskers alone! Your cat can loose his balance. He needs those whiskers. I think long beautiful whiskers are a cats pride.Why would you ever want to trim them?
2007-04-01 16:10:48 · answer #3 · answered by Pamela V 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
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.
2007-04-01 16:13:54 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
No! It is NOT o.k. to trim their whiskers. If the cats whiskers can fit through small spaces, then the cat knows the rest of its body will too.
2007-04-01 16:05:41 · answer #5 · answered by kajunkitty415 1 · 6⤊ 0⤋
A cats whiskers is not like a beard or a mustache. The whiskers are the cats sensors when it walks out at night, fitting thru tight areas quickly. It is one of its "senses" the sense of touch. The cat becomes more clumsy and would bang into things moreso if you cut them. I would not touch them.
Nothing looks worse than tampering on something natural. That would be like shaving off your eyebrows and see how that looks.
2007-04-01 17:30:25 · answer #6 · answered by ButwhatdoIno? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NO NO NO do not trim the whiskers of a cat. They help the cat feel their way around and by trimming their whiskers, you will handicap one of their senses. Just leave them alone, they will resolve on their own
2007-04-01 16:06:49 · answer #7 · answered by butterflycole 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
No do not trim his whiskers. It will set him off balance and any number of things can happen such as him walking sideways, not eating at all, throwing up after eating, dizziness and I'm sure there are more. Those symptoms won't go away until the whiskers grow back.
2007-04-01 16:06:27 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
You should not trim your cats whiskers because they are their sensors. They keep them balanced and help them find their way in the dark.
You CAN trim them, but if you do make sure you cut them evenly. This should only be done of absolutely necessary. They will grow back though.
The cat doesn't mind that they are long because it makes him unique!!
2007-04-01 16:08:17 · answer #9 · answered by Shelly L 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is not o.k. to trim your cat's whiskers. if they are so long, he must need them that way. even though it may not be as becoming of a cat to have long whiskers, they help him in more ways than you would think.
2007-04-01 16:08:00 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, do not cut them. Cats use them for balance and to feel around their environment. Cats become dizzy without their whiskers. I had a cat who accidentally burned her 1/2 whiskers off on a heater years ago and she was disoriented for awhile. Imagine how you feel when you have inner ear troubles and vertigo, it's like that for kitty too.
2007-04-01 16:23:25 · answer #11 · answered by xicanaocelotl 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋