Cats look amazing with their cute whiskers. However, it is common to see a cat lose its whiskers. Whatever the reason may be, do cat whiskers grow back?
When you look at a cat’s face may be the most outstanding feature after their eyes is their whiskers. You can see them moving their whiskers while they play, hunt, enter a tight space or just rub them to your legs or face. Sometimes cats just lose their whiskers. But do cat whiskers grow back? Let’s find out together.
Unlike human moustache, cat whiskers have very important and vital functions. They use their whiskers to measure distances while jumping or climbing to high places, understand how tight a particular space is so that they don’t get stuck, sense what and who is around them and stay alert while they sleep.
We can say that whiskers might be the most important part of a cat’s anatomy. Without their whiskers cats could not be the hunter we can’t stop watching. We wouldn’t even be able to say “if it fits, I sits” because they probably would not be interested in entering tight spaces.
There are even urban legends about cats dying when their whiskers cut. Of course these claims got busted scientifically. Also, we explained “Why Do Cats Have Whiskers?” and compiled some urban legends about cat whiskers, too.
Is Shedding Whiskers Normal?
Whiskers are extremely important for a cat’s daily life therefore you may get worried if you find out it misses some whiskers. Although cat’s naturally shed or lose their whiskers from time to time for different reasons such as getting to close to a burning candle or fighting with another cat, sometimes it is just people cutting or trimming their cat’s whiskers thinking their whiskers are too long. You may check our post “Cutting Cat Whiskers: Right or Wrong?” for more information.
Just like shedding fur, shedding whiskers is normal for cats. But if you notice that your cat misses a lot of its whiskers or loses them rapidly, you may want to check it out with your veterinary. Losing whiskers have many reasons starting from stress arising from the changes in its environment such as moving to a new house or a having a new family member, to allergies or medical conditions like endocrine disorders or high fever. Even parasites may cause your cat to lose some or all of its whiskers.
Can Cat Whiskers Grow Back?
If you accidentally cut your cat’s whiskers or it somehow lost its whiskers, don’t worry. Will cat whiskers grow back? Yes, they do grow back!
It takes 2-3 months for a cat to fully grow its whiskers back and the growth time completely depends on the breed, health, diet, hormone levels and health issues along with many other factors. Some cat owners report the regrowth period as 6 weeks while others report longer periods.
Although very rare, whiskers may never grow back if there is an underlying medical reason. If your cat’s whiskers don’t grow back after two or three months your veterinary might want to check it for medical conditions such as;
- Feline acne,
- Ringworm or other fungal infections
- Bacterial infections that cause cat skin to react
- Dermatitis
- Alopecia, etc.
Treating the underlying medical condition generally allows the cat to regrow its whiskers. If you are in doubt, please take your little friend to a veterinary. (I know, they don’t like it but who does?)
When a cat loses its whiskers its mood may change as it is like people losing their auditory or visual senses. However, it is best to keep an eye on your cat because losing whiskers might not be reason behind the mood change but rather a symptom of a medical condition it goes through.
Cats are cool, if you see your cat losing its whiskers, be like your cat: keep your cool, observe your cat and consult with your veterinary when necessary.
Did you find this post helpful? Do you have an experience with your cat losing its whisker? Please leave a comment below and share your experience with us.
Have a purrderful day!
