{"id":12289,"date":"2022-11-27T08:18:56","date_gmt":"2022-11-27T08:18:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/?p=12289"},"modified":"2023-02-10T16:12:26","modified_gmt":"2023-02-10T16:12:26","slug":"do-cat-whiskers-grow-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/do-cat-whiskers-grow-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Cat Whiskers Grow Back? Yes, But Please Don\u2019t Cut Them"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cats are fascinating creatures with many peculiar features, one of which is their whiskers. Whiskers are so long on some cats that they almost look like fur extensions!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do cat whiskers grow back<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> if they\u2019re cut? How harmful is it, and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">what <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">exactly<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> happens if you cut a cat&#8217;s whiskers<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? Read on to find out why you should <\/span><b>never<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> do this.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id='do-cat-whiskers-grow-back'><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do Cat Whiskers Grow Back<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cat whiskers, also known as <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">vibrissae<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, are highly specialized hairs that can grow up to twice the length of their <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">haircoat<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. While it\u2019s in no way recommended to cut your cat&#8217;s whiskers, if they do get cut or broken, they will usually grow back in approximately six to eight weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cats&#8217; whiskers do fall off naturally, and in most cases, that\u2019s completely normal. However, it should be noted that if they don\u2019t fall out naturally, i.e., you cut them, that can affect your cat&#8217;s ability to sense objects and cause <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mobility issues<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, so definitely avoid doing that. If you notice that your cat is losing its whiskers due to trauma or illness, <\/span><b>contact your veterinarian for advice<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id='why-do-cats-have-whiskers'><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why Do Cats Have Whiskers<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cats use their whiskers to provide additional <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sensory information<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with 100 to 200 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">neurons<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on each hair. The hairs assist them in navigating, sensing, and comprehending their surroundings. These thin, long cat hairs are made of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">keratin<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, comparable to human hair, and linked to sensory nerves at the whisker <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">follicles<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Let&#8217;s see <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">what cat whiskers are for<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Mood indicator<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: These tiny hairs have <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">muscles<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that let them move in response to various scenarios. Relaxed whiskers suggest that your cat is peaceful and content. Whiskers pointed forward indicate curiosity, while an angry or fearful cat will have its whiskers drawn back against its face.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Touch<\/b><b>: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whiskers are sensitive and help cats when exploring objects by detecting air currents. When your cat rubs against something, like your leg, it&#8217;s often because its whiskers were the first thing to feel how warm it was.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Orientation<\/b><b>: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cats use them to judge whether they will fit through an opening or not. When they jump, their whiskers tell them where they will land and if something is close enough for them to grab onto. Hence, you never find cats stuck in places too small for them!<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Hunt prey better at night<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Cats use their whiskers to sense prey in the dark and for better stability when chasing.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are good enough reasons to let our cats keep their whiskers, right?<\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Did you know that cats have whiskers on the backs of their front paws too? If you want to read more fun facts about cats, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/cat-facts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">browse this article for some interesting conmeowsation starters<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 id='what-happens-if-you-cut-a-cats-whiskers'><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What Happens if You Cut a Cats Whiskers<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cat without whiskers<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is like a cat with no sense of orientation, which already puts your feline friend in danger. But let\u2019s say you hypothetically cut your cat\u2019s whiskers because\u2026 well, there\u2019s no valid reason, and it can be extremely harmful\u2014and here\u2019s why.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even slight overstimulation of whiskers can lead to something called <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">whisker fatigue<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in cats\u2014this is basically an overflow of sensory information going from <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">proprioceptor<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">s to cats\u2019 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nervous systems<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Now imagine how painful and disorienting cutting them off would be.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a cat has its whiskers cut, it can cause the animal extreme distress and confusion. Since cats use their whiskers for navigation and balance, as well as for sensing objects in their environment, these little pointy hairs are a necessity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By cutting their whiskers, a cat would be deprived of this essential <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sensory organ<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, making the cat <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">disoriented<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Furthermore, the associated pain and fear can cause severe consequences for the animal&#8217;s emotional well-being.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">whisker loss<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> sometimes occurs because of less-than-ideal health conditions, though, and there\u2019s not much you can do about it. This mostly happens due to issues such as <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mange<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">skin infections<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or blood vessel inflammation like <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">vasculitis<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you a new cat owner and don&#8217;t know where to start? Take a quick <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/cat-care\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">read about basic cat care<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014your feline will be thankful.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 id='frequently-asked-questions'><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Does it hurt to cut cats&#8217; whiskers?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, it does. Cats use their whiskers for various purposes, including navigation and detecting movement. When you cut off a cat&#8217;s whiskers, you are taking away one of its senses and making it difficult for the cat to maneuver around its environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>How often do cats shed whiskers?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most healthy felines shed whiskers once every few months, and it&#8217;s generally a healthy sign when they do.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Do cats need their whiskers?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, without a doubt. Cat whiskers are highly sensitive and play an essential role in the cat&#8217;s navigation and hunting abilities. For example, cat whiskers help cats gauge the width of openings they&#8217;re trying to navigate (like doorways) and also help them determine if they can fit through space without getting stuck.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id='key-takeaways'><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">do cat whiskers grow back<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? The answer is yes, but not as quickly as they\u2019re lost. Depending on the circumstances, new whiskers could take a few weeks to start growing again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It turns out whiskers help cats detect movement and changes in air pressure, which is why they can navigate so well in the dark. They also act as sensory organs that let cats know when they\u2019re close to something or when something is coming up from behind them. Pretty nifty, right?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Sources<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehappycatsite.com\/do-cat-whiskers-grow-back\/#role\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Happy Cat Site<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/archiecat.com\/will-cat-whiskers-grow-back\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Archie Cat<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/faqcats.com\/do-cat-whiskers-grow-back\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FAQCats<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beinghuman.org\/do-cat-whiskers-grow-back\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beinghuman.org<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hartz.com\/the-story-behind-your-cats-whiskers\/#:~:text=They%20are%2C%20in%20fact%2C%20hair&amp;text=They%20grow%20from%20the%20whisker,their%20own%20and%20grow%20back.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Hartz Mountain Corporation<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cats are fascinating creatures with many peculiar features, one of which is their whiskers. Whiskers are so long on some cats that they almost look like fur extensions! Do cat whiskers grow back if they\u2019re cut? How harmful is it, and what exactly happens if you cut a cat&#8217;s whiskers? Read on to find out [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/do-cat-whiskers-grow-back\/\">Read More&#8230;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> from Do Cat Whiskers Grow Back? Yes, But Please Don\u2019t Cut Them<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":12290,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-guides"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12289\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}