Why do cats have whiskers?

Cat whiskers, also known as "tactile hairs," are very different from a cat's regular body hair. In this episode, Marshall explains how these hairs are unique and what cats use them for.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Brainstuff from house stuff works dot com, where
smart happens him Marshall Brain with today's question, why do
cats have whiskers? Whiskers are also known as tactle hairs,

(00:21):
and they are long, thick, flexible hairs on a cat's face.
These hairs are located in horizontal rows on the whisker pad,
the puffy area between the top corners of the cat's
mouth and the outer edges of his nose. Whiskers are
like normal hair and that they fall out and do
get replaced. But whiskers are different from a cat's body

(00:43):
hair in a few different ways. First, whiskers should never
be cut or trimmed, and we'll see why later. Whiskers
are two to three times thicker than a cat's hair.
And finally, whiskers are rooted very deep in the cat's
face in an area rich in nerves and blood vessels.
In addition to having the long tactle hairs on their cheeks,

(01:05):
cats also have shorter ones above their eyebrows, on their chin,
and on the back of their front legs. Since we're
most familiar with facial whiskers, let's look at what they're
good for. First. They're good for navigation, second, they're good
for mood indication, and third they're good for measuring and opening.
Whiskers help the cat feel his way around a room

(01:27):
or an area. 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 it's because
the air currents in the room change depending on where
pieces of furniture are located. As the cat walks through

(01:49):
the room and approaches a couch, he'll know which direction
to turn based on the change in air current around
the couch. In addition to having sensory properties, 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 a cat is happy or curious

(02:12):
or content, the whiskers will be more relaxed and pushed forward.
But the whiskers 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 like a natural ruler. The whisker tips are sensitive
to pressure. You'll notice that a cat will stick his

(02:34):
head in and out of an opening before he puts
his body in. He's judging the width of that opening
and is determining if he can fit into it. An
interesting note, cats don't have true collar bones like humans do.
This allows them to turn and twist their way through
very narrow openings compared to a human being. Be sure

(02:56):
to check out our new video podcast, Stuff from the Future.
Join How Staff Work staff as we explore the most
promising and perplexing possibilities of tomorrow the house Stuff Works
iPhone app has arrived. Download it today on iTunes.