For Pet's Sake Column

Helllooooo, my name is Miss Bella (I’m a rescued British Shorthair, so my mum, Karen Lee Stevens, gave me a “proper” name). She’s been busy sprucing up her home office with lovely new flooring and furniture (not to be flip, but didn’t gray metal desks and filing cabinets fall out of favor in the ‘80s, along with Elton John’s rhinestone glasses and polyester pantsuits?). Anyway, my dears, she asked me to fill in for her this week and as her full-time feline muse, I was more than happy to accommodate her wishes.

For starters, I thought I’d talk about something near and dear to my heart—well, actually my face: whiskers. All us cats have them, although I like to think that mine are more beautiful than those of my feline friends. OK, to be perfectly honest, I don’t have any feline friends except for that beastly tuxedo kitty who has punctured a few holes in our screen door trying to pop in for a visit. But I’m getting off task…Whiskers are more than just fancy facial fuzz; they have a very important role, namely to help cats navigate their surroundings. They can also help humans (and other cats, I would imagine) determine our moods. For instance, when we pull our whiskers back toward our faces, it means we’re frightened or angry, while whiskers that are pressed forward indicate that we’re curious or content.

Me and my whiskers!

To me, whiskers are bloody miracles of nature. For one thing, these “tactile hairs” or vibrissae as they are known in the scientific community are much longer than the rest of the hair on our bodies and about three times thicker. Like our hair and nails, whiskers fall out from time to time and new ones grow in their place. My mum gets a kick out of finding my whiskers on the floor and she’ll save them in a heart-shaped dish, like some sentimental blokes save locks of hair. Seems a bit odd to me, but then again, I think it’s rather amusing to upchuck big balls of mushy fur onto the floor. (Try it sometime; it sends people running for something called “carpet cleaner” and yelling “bugger!” at the top of their voices.) In all seriousness, since whiskers help cats get around, especially in the dark, they should never been cut or trimmed. Besides it would make us look silly. (Remember that botched haircut you got last year? Same idea.)

According to a recent CatWatch newsletter published by Cornel l University's College of Veterinary Medicine, whiskers are “specially modified (big, fat) hairs that grow from very large follicles in specific locations. The most prominent whiskers are those that grow on the upper lips of the muzzle.” Cats have about 24 “mystacial” whiskers that grow on their muzzles (12 on each side of the face) and they grow in nice, neat horizontal rows. In addition, we have “genal” whiskers, which are found on our cheeks, “superciliary” whiskers that sprout just above our eyes, and “wrist whiskers” that grow from—you guessed it—the carpal area (wrist) of our forelimbs. Fascinating, don’t you agree? Just when I was feeling pretty high and mighty for having all these wonderful white whiskers, I learned that they aren’t unique to felines. In fact, other mammals like mice, dogs, and even walruses have muzzle whiskers.

Since our whiskers are about the same length as the width of our bodies, scientists determined that we must use them like a ruler or a measuring tape to help us figure out if we can fit into certain places. This is particularly helpful during the nighttime hours when we’re hunting for prey or, in my case, searching for that tasty treat that accidentally rolled into the pantry. And, since we don’t have hands or fingers, those “wrist whiskers” come in mighty handy by providing tactile information when we’re climbing and hunting.

So there you have it: a short tale about those long hairs on our faces. Before I take my leave—and on a totally different subject—I would like to remind everyone that the Fourth of July is just around the corner (yes, I get the irony of a Brit talking about America’s Independence Day) and we felines aren’t at all fond of those things you call fireworks. So, this Friday, please keep all your pets indoors and put on some soft music to help drown out the ruckus. And be sure we’re wearing collars and tags (microchips are good too) just in case we somehow escape the house and become lost.

Oh and one more thing…I’m not a huge fan of dogs, but my mum is bonkers about them and I know many of her readers are too, so I wanted to mention a letter we received from Sally in Santa Barbara, who wrote, “I have attended several outdoor events recently and noticed many hot and thirsty dogs. It would be great if event organizers could make water available at a few locations along parade routes to refresh the poor dogs whose owners have neglected to bring any water. At the end of the Fiesta parade, for instance, the organizers always have large buckets of water for our horses—I am hoping that the organizers of other events might consider doing the same for dogs since so many people bring their furry pals to numerous outdoor events and they are thirsty!”

I quite agree with you, Sally. Cheerio!

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Karen and Miss Bella invite readers to pop over for a spot of tea (or catnip, your choice) to discuss whiskers and other wonders of nature. Send an email message to them at karenleestevens@cox.net.