Why Do Cats Have Whiskers?

Why Do Cats Have Whiskers?

Learn all about cat whiskers, what they are, what they do, and the function they serve as well as some pretty crazy facts about them. Cat whiskers are not only beautiful but they have many purposes in a cat's world from balance to navigation to gauging prey to staying away from predators to emotion.

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00:00 Welcome
00:44 The Anatomy of Whiskers
02:11 How the Whisker Evolved
04:58 Purpose 1: Balance
05:45 Purpose 2: Trigger Blink Reflex
06:07 Fun Cat Whisker Facts
06:58 Purpose 3: Communicate mood
07:56 Most common questions

Visit Dr. Mikel Delgado's blog here!

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#JacksonGalaxy #Cat #Advice

[rangequeen]

Who TF is asking “can I trim my cats whiskers”?!?!? Whiskers are so cute, the longer the better!

[Cayshax]

Jackson galaxy needs a cat podcast where he talks about housecats and does interviews with other cat experts and rescuers

[pineappledoesbelongonpizza]

No wonder they can't see when your pointing to a piece of food just below them lol

[carr]

I recently learned about whisker stress completely by accident. I was shopping for a cat bowl after breaking one and saw some that were called "whisker relief bowls." I did a quick Google search and realised that one of my cats was exhibiting all of the signs, and always had! I thought she was just picky about food (she is, but not as much as I thought) and was a weirdo who prefered to eat off the floor. Got one of the bowls and now she eats like a champ!
After a couple of weeks I decided to grab another one for my boy to see if it would stop his behaviour of eating a few bites and then running off to torture the 3 girls. It did!
I am a firm believer in whisker stress, though it doesn't seem to be an issue for 2/4.

[IstanbulCats]

I want a world where cats can live happily.
I feed the stray cats every day and give them love.
don't let cats go hungry.
I will spread this all over the world

[abboman]

My cat is watching now he’s purring lol he’s on my chest WE ALL LOVE JACKSON GALAXY

[foxblaze]

Maybe that's why I've seen all these posts and memes about cats 'thinking their bowl is empty' when the bottom is showing, every time it always shows the middle so maybe it's uncomfortable for them to try to eat the food closer to the edges

[enabi]

TOE BEANS!!! WE NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT TOE BEANS!

Also, forgive me, but I cut my brother's cat's whiskers when I was a kid... poor thing, I didn't know at the time :'(
and my mother did tell me off for that...

[AuroraTigress]

My cat has no trouble shoving her face down a glass of water, lol. I do not serve her water in a glass tho, just to clarify.

[Therealmitch]

Hey Jackson, cats are far-sighted, not near-sighted, by your description.

[cathywestholt]

My big boy Clooney has the strongest, heaviest whiskers. When he rubs heads and the whiskers have to pass by my face, they are drawn backwards as he moves in. As soon as they pass my cheek....BOING...a real snap forward. 😸

[nixand_brennt]

Cats can occasionally lose their whiskers, and I have found my cat's whiskers before and I kept and cherished them. They're so cool.

[ContagiousRepublic]

Non-whisker-safe bowls tend to have cats meow to fill the center of the bowl while they ignore the kibble on the borders... no need for knowing WHY, we have a behaviorist proof. That cat PREFER bowls which don't annoy their whiskers in bowls which are non-whisker-safe is just the next logical step.

[JohnNathanShopper]

“I’m just this exploding source of cat.”
-Jackson

[Littlebabe]

I'd love to see a video for grooming. different brushes that work for different hair types and claw trimming. I'm having a heck of a time figuring out which brush to use on my girl. the ones that seem to work she hates and I wonder if it's because this style pulls or if it's operater error. 😅

[artchic]

I often stroke my cats whiskers back toward his muzzle but seeing as how Jackson just informed me that it might be uncomfortable for him for me to mess with such a sensitive part of his body I’ll refrain from now on.

[nenilgatto]

Your videos are allways so useful! You explain yourself so clearly and give us so much notion to better understand our cat friends!
Thank you very much Jackson!

[issaabello]

I'm a new cat mom, and I just want to say that I've been watching / binging your videos and have learned soooo much in how I could make my kitty a happy kitty! 💚 Thank you Jackson!

[DanielBrowne-dzwe]

I never heard of whisker stress before now & I feel justified having bought flat saucers at antique markets to be used as puss plates.

[whoever]

I've had several cats who point their whiskers forward when they're pooping. I only notice this because I've had several cats who use the litter box while I'm on the toilet. I mean it's obviously associated with grunting but I wonder if it helps or if humans make a similar face but simply lack the dramatic whiskers. Anyway, it's hard not to laugh at cats when they do that but I try not to because I try not to embarrass them. It is truly hilarious though, especially on fluffy fat cats. lol