Gorgeous cat whiskers are often objects of children's hairdressing experiments. Adults do not pay much attention to such actions, because the animal is not injured. However, the cat needs a mustache, or vibrissa!
Why does a cat need a mustache
According to the researchers' assumptions, feline whiskers are assigned three tasks: twilight vision, warning function, and touch. The tips of the whiskers are very sensitive and instantly transmit information to the animal if they touch something. These organs of touch detect even the slightest movement of air that accompanies the appearance of another animal.
If a cat urgently needs to hide, from a dog, for example, and she is looking for somewhere to climb, she uses vibrissae to estimate the size of the hole and understand whether it will be possible to get through there. True, well-fed domestic cats cannot take full advantage of this function, since even the most chic and spreading whiskers are not able to grow to the volume of an animal's belly! Therefore, it is often necessary to get overweight cats from where they tried to crawl, but got stuck.
The cat perfectly orientates itself in the dark. But this is not only the merit of the eye, vibrissae are of great help here. Small rodents - the traditional prey of cats - go out for food most often at night. During the day, a cat will perfectly cope with catching a mouse without a whisker, but in the dark, vibrissae are irreplaceable. With their help, cats will not only see a rodent, but also feel the slightest movement of a pretended dead rat.
What are vibrissae and what will happen if you cut them
An animal's whiskers, or whiskers, are long, sensitive tactile hairs that are stiffer than the main coat. A feline set of vibrissae consists of 24 movable hairs (on average), 12 pieces on each side. The roots of the mustache are deep and connected to the nervous system much denser than normal hair follicles.
If you trim a cat's whiskers, it will lose part of its ideal navigation system. At night, the cat will not be able to orientate itself so well in space, which is not at all good for its safety. A cat's night vision is not as perfect as it is commonly believed, it senses the sharp thorns of plants! Without vibrissae, your furry pet can damage eyes, nose and ears.
Veterinarians advise keeping cats at home until the whiskers grow back. It is not recommended to even rearrange the room, since a cat without vibrissae will not be able to walk around the house freely and without the risk of hitting.
Of course, nothing really scary from the fact that you trim the cat's mustache may not happen. But why risk an animal's health? Try to convey this information to the children so that they do not play with scissors while playing with pets in the hairdresser.
