Five Questions and Answers Concerning The Physical Attributes Of Cats. First, let me commend you for quickly looking up the answer to your question. Without whiskers, your cat’s ability to navigate the world and sense the things around them is severely hampered, and this specific form of sensitive touch feedback is something that cats rely heavily upon. Hair loss above a cat’s eyes (facial alopecia) commonly occurs as cats grow in size and the fur thins out. Whiskers are shed like regular body hair. Why do cats seem to deliberately get underfoot? Especially pay attention to times of day and locations symptoms flare up – after a meal, in a specific room? But this is not unique to cats in any way at all. Big cat doesn't lose whiskers, although he does go outside, so hard to tell. No better way to make sure that nothing is wrong with your cat than being sure to check on absolutely anything you suspect even might be a symptom of a bigger problem. © Copyright - Pets4Homes.co.uk (2005 - 2021) - Pet Media Ltd. Why do cats have whiskers on their front legs? Have something to say? That’s because when those specific symptoms happen to humans, they’re quite normal and don’t typically indicate anything to be stressed over. Fond of my fluffies? The truly amazing feature of the cat’s whiskers is in the nerve ending attachment on her face. A range of immune-mediated and hormonal disorders including hypothyroidism can cause hair loss and changes in texture of the hair that re-grows, which will affect the whiskers as well as the fur. Sneezing, coughing (if the cat has asthma), wheezing, Itchy back or base of tail (most commonly seen in flea allergies), Tree, grass, weed, mold, mildew and dust pollens. Whiskers aren’t regular hairs, they are unique from others, not just in the way they look, but in regards to their purpose and function and why and how cats use them on their bodies. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Regular fighting with another cat that causes scratching and damage to the cat’s face can of course lead to whisker loss too, but if your cat is scrapping so much that they are losing a significant amount of whiskers, the problem is acute enough that you should work hard to take steps to solve the problem, including cat-proofing your home and garden from strange cats, neutering (if your cat is intact) and other measures that your vet can advise on. Cat whiskers do often fall out. Tell us what features and improvements you would like to see on Pets4Homes. If you find that your cat is losing his or her whiskers while these other symptoms are present, it may be time to visit your vet: Weight loss; Lethargy; Skin problems/allergies; Because cat’s whiskers are actually special hairs, whisker loss can occur along with other hair loss, which may be a sign of underlying illness. If your cat's whiskers are falling out by the bunch and her whisker pads really look bare, definitely have her checked out … Is it normal for them to lose a whisker or two here or there, or is something wrong with my cat?”. A cat losing hair — also called alopecia in cats — can be complete or partial and happens in felines for a variety of reasons, the most common of which is skin allergies, experts say. There are likely to be clues in this type of data. Cats haven’t got a way to tell us when something’s up and if they’re in pain through language, so it’s up to us to double check anything we suspect may be a symptom is a-ok. And vets have the hard role of trying to determine what’s wrong with a furry patient that can’t voice how they physically feel, so the more potentially relevant information you can collect about your pet to report back to your vet with, the faster you may be able to help an accurate diagnosis to be made. If their whiskers are falling out, there might be an underlying health … Are there plenty of whiskers left over? Psychologically, anxiety and stress. Now, all the eyebrow whiskers on one side are entirely gone. I thought it was sort of strange - I don't remember ever finding cat whiskers - but I just blew it off as a one time thing. In terms of allergies, look out for other allergy symptoms in cats. Your cat is just fine and very healthy in this regard if you never could have otherwise noticed. Figured I might as well blog about 'em. The cat's whiskers can feel the wind and alerts the cat to be on guard for a something moving around the house or outdoors. A few things that can make cats lose hairs, including whiskers? It’s why you should never cut a cat’s whiskers – cats use their whiskers to help them make decisions about the world around them, and if you cut them, you’re essentially handicapping one of their senses, the equivalent to stuffing cotton in their ears and making it difficult for them to hear. Poor Daisy Mae! Was it allergies, anxiety, stress, fights with another cat, or something else? Besides the normal fall off after the dormancy phase, your cat’s whiskers may fall off due to allergies, regular fights, parasite infestation, fungal and other skin infections, severe feline acne, nutritional deficiency, hormonal disorders, stress, and nervous disorders, among other causes. January 13, 2019 by Elise Xavier | Updated: July 7, 2020 - 4 Comments, Made your way here because you’ve noticed a whisker or two lying on the ground in your home? Obsessed with cats. Dermatitis and other skin conditions, particularly those that are allergenic in nature that again, lead to loss of fur can also cause your cat to lose their whiskers too. I've never known whiskers to grow like this either and think you should stay alert to the people who are around your cat. We did take her to the vet but the vet said she didn’t have mites or fleas and didn’t know what caused it. Their hair thus needs to be cut when it gets long in order to keep it maintained at an easy-to-live-with length, again, just like human hair. If you find a whisker on the floor, here and there, this is normal, as whiskers do fall out and new ones regenerate. But you came here to talk about whiskers, so let’s get to the next point…. Even subtle movements in the air around them are felt by a cat through its whiskers. I rely on body shape and attitude to tell them apart, but I’m wrong often. If a blade of grass touches that whisker, a cat will know to turn or back away before the blade enters his delicate eye. I think cats that have dominant personalities will often switch their aggressive behaviours to other, non-violent actions if they are discouraged from hitting other cats, licking and grooming or allogrooming, for instance, is often done by dominant cats in multi-cat households to relieve pent up aggression and stress, and is no harm whatsoever for the less dominant cat, but I do think – left unchecked – a cat’s tendency to be aggressive can escalate to the point where it’s damaging to another cat, even if it starts out as harmless looking.