There is a grain of truth to the old wives’ tale about a cat’s whiskers. According to legend, they are exactly the same width as the animal’s body, and they determine whether or not a cat can fit through a small hole or opening. It would be more accurate to state, however, that the large facial hairs known as vibrissce serve as feelers and that they contribute significantly to the cat’s predator instinct by facilitating movement in low light and darkness. The 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 its nose. Like hair and nails, whiskers do fall out and are replaced by nature. The hairs themselves are not sensitive, but their roots contain volatile nerve endings.
Whiskers are different from a cat’s body hair in that they should never be trimmed. They are also two to three times thicker than the animal’s outer coat. They are rooted very deeply into the animals’ face and function as an aid in navigation, mood indication and measuring an opening.
The connection between whiskers and a cat’s eyesight has long been speculated. One naturalist discovered that cats with their whiskers cut short were unable to judge distances accurately. In some experiments, cats without any whiskers would repeatedly miss their prey while in the process of springing for it. It was thus concluded that these facial hairs help the cat affix its vision on its prey and that it is unsafe to remove whiskers from any cat, which must hunt for a living.
Of course, that leaves your cat and mine who barely move, much less hunt for a living. Still, a cat’s whiskers are a part to its persona and very important to its equilibrium and well being. So, stay away from them and they will stay away from you. If you can’t figure out if you can fit through a specific opening, just ask the cats. In no uncertain terms, they will tell you!