Many mammals, and felines, in particular, have whiskers, and the role of this type of facial hair has been explored by specialists for a long time. What we know, at this point, is that whiskers are far from being an accessory or an atavism. Their role is efficient, and they offer vital information. Cats, like felines, have whiskers, and they can experience something called whisker fatigue.
What is the role of whiskers, anyway?
While to the naked eye it may not seem like it, a cat’s whiskers tell the animal a lot of things about the surrounding world. They are essential for a cat’s equilibrium and provide the cat with information on its position about everything around it. If you’re observing your pet, you will notice it moving their whiskers in various situations.
What is whisker fatigue?
Feline whisker fatigue is the name of a condition that describes a discomfort experienced by your cat at the level of its whiskers. The whiskers are controlled with the help of certain facial muscles, and you may notice that sometimes, your cat behaves like it would like to protect its whiskers.
That may especially be the case when your cat eats or drinks waters. Something that was not known in the past was that cats could become severely stressed if their whiskers touched all kinds of surface. Imagine how it would feel if something would suddenly come over your eyes, or cover your ears.
Without these critical sensors to communicate with the outside world, your cat can easily become stressed. You might not have paid attention to this aspect so far, but if you notice certain symptoms in your cat that might mean that your pet suffers from whisker fatigue.
Symptoms
A cat that is displeased with its food or water bowl will behave in a certain manner. If you notice the following symptoms occurring after you bought a new cat bowl, you should consider changing it to a different model.
One symptom of whisker fatigue is that your cat starts making a fuss when eating or drinking water. It can begin knocking off food and eating it directly from the floor because that is an easier way for the pet to feed.
Also, your cat can become aggressive against other pets. The whisker fatigue can put unnecessary pressure on the cat’s nervous system, and that is why these reactions happen.
What can you do?
First of all, you should learn about something called whisker fatigue cat bowls. They are designed to help you feed your cat without putting a strain on your cat’s whiskers. Until you purchase one of these, make sure to fill your cat’s bowls with food and water as close to overfilling as possible, so that your cat doesn’t have to struggle to eat.
It is advisable to try to rule out other health problems, too. A visit to the vet will make things clear. In case the aforementioned condition is at the root of the problem, the vet will recommend getting some whisker fatigue bowls for your feline friend.
