Not that I'm planning on doing this. Some of us are discussing this @ work & none of us know the answer. Thanks!
2007-05-11 08:21:04 · 19 answers · asked by Total_Id 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
Cat's whiskers have numerous nerve endings in them, so yes, cutting a cats whiskers has the potential of causing harm.
2007-05-11 08:25:52 · answer #1 · answered by Audrey A 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Yes, it hurts them. Not in a physical pain sense but in a sensory perception sense.
Cats use their whiskers to judge space. Watch a cat approach an unfamiliar opening - first he will stick his head through, if the whiskers clear he knows his body will fit. Without whiskers, he could easily become stuck.
In my opinion, cutting a cats' whiskers is a form of physical abuse/cruelty. Glad to hear you aren't planning on doing this.
2007-05-11 15:32:42 · answer #2 · answered by D_Cartwright_99 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't cause them pain to cut the whiskers, any more than it causes you pain to get a haircut.
However, it could be dangerous to do it --the cat's whiskers are used to measure the size of an opening it might wish to pass through, and if you trim the whiskers, the cat might get stuck in a hole that was too small and not be able to extricate itself.
2007-05-11 15:29:09 · answer #3 · answered by Dave_Stark 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We had a cat that got half of his whiskers cut off (on one side). They grew back. It was not that big of a deal. What was interesting was that cat spent a lot of time in the crawlspace under the house, before he lost the whiskers and after he got them back to a decent size, he never seemed to have problems down there. When he was growing them back, he would get lost down there more often and also would come out filthy (he never did that when he had the whiskers). We were told that cats will use their whiskers to help them navigate in complete darkness. Sort of like a blind person using a cane.
2007-05-11 15:26:29 · answer #4 · answered by A.Mercer 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes it HURTS!!! They are a cat's sensors and very sensitive. They can detect prey movement from air vibrations! and they know if they can fit their whiskers through an opening, then they can get through without getting stuck. They are an integral an necessary part that should be left unaltered. Please, Please take an hour and do a web search on "cat's health" and "cat facts" and "cat safety". It is incredibly interesting and you can share all the info with those at work! You will be a cat guru and your cat will thank you for it. Hope this was helpful.
2007-05-11 15:41:59 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes!!! A cat has about twenty-four movable whiskers. Whiskers are more than twice as thick as ordinary hairs, and their roots are set three times deeper than hairs in a cat's tissue.
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.
2007-05-14 23:16:14 · answer #6 · answered by napaneefc 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the whiskers lets them determine if they can fit into a certain area. Most of the time the whiskers are the width of the cats body. It could get them into trouble and get them stuck somewhere and could possibly suffocate.
2007-05-11 16:03:20 · answer #7 · answered by momof3 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not "hurt" truly, but cats use whiskers as sensors, like eyes and ears, so I guess cutting them could somewhat diminish their effectiveness.
2007-05-11 15:25:04 · answer #8 · answered by GEEGEE 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You should never cut a cats whiskers.
That would be abuse---they need their whiskers---please don't.
2007-05-11 19:06:41 · answer #9 · answered by felix8462 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't believe it hurts but it throws off there balance and they use there whiskers to see at night.
2007-05-11 15:36:04 · answer #10 · answered by Shaunda W 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋