Why Do Cats Have Whiskers. Vet info says that most cats have 12 long whiskers on either side of their nose. The way they work is the whiskers pick up on air currents in a room, which then sends a message to their brain telling them where objects are.

Whiskers are also known as “vibrissae” and their main purpose is to allow a cat to navigate their surroundings, especially in the dark. Well, people refer to them as hair however they’re not entirely the same. The long and thick hair on your cat’s face is called a whisker.

Just like the other body hair, if a cats lose whiskers accompanied by the other symptoms such as watery eyes and bad breadth, it could indicate vitamin deficiency, and in such a case she should be taken to a veteran for proper treatment.

Cat whiskers aren’t just cute and get a little bit curly with the humidity; Biologists think mammals developed whiskers because they needed help sensing their environments at night. The exact pattern and location of whiskers varies with breed but most cats have 12 whiskers that are arranged in 4 rows on each cheek. Cat whiskers appear thicker than fur, and the larger follicles run much deeper into a cat's skin.