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Conference misery::feline_v1

Title:Meower Power is Valuing Differences
Notice:FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY
Moderator:MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO
Created:Sun Feb 09 1986
Last Modified:Tue Jan 11 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5089
Total number of notes:60366

2631.0. "Wiskers" by BAGELS::MATSIS () Wed Jun 28 1989 13:47

    I couldn't find a note on this.  Hope I'm not being redundant.
    
    
    Do cat's wiskers fall out and then grow back in?  I noticed that
    my cat Chewy only has 3 wiskers left on one side of her face.  The
    others are all very short, blunt and exactly the same size, about
    1/2 inch.   I wondering if it is normal for them to fall out and
    regrow, if she could have got them caught somewhere, or if someone
    possible cut them.
    
    Just curious.
    
    Pam
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2631.1 wisker caperAIMHI::SPINGLERWed Jun 28 1989 15:0222
                   No your cats' not going bald :-)
    
    Hi,
    
    Fear not, those wiskers will re grow, you did not mention how old your
    pet is or how many other pets you have, but you may want to consider
    the following possibilities:
    
    If your pet is still a kitten, they simply shed wiskers much like teeth
    and some times it happes all at once, making the poor youngster looking
    like some one gave it a shave!
    
    If you have other pets one of them might be chewing the wiskers off of
    other pets.  It's and odd habit, but I have seen it before, and to find
    out who the wisker chewer is you just look for the only animal in the
    house who has any wiskers left!!!
    
    Feline tickley (Kitty wiskers tickle :-)
    Sue & Panther & Spot
    
    
    
2631.2Thanks...CGVAX2::JOHNSON_SWed Jun 28 1989 20:314
    My kitten has about 4 wiskers on 1 side that are about 1/2 " long.
    I thought nothing of it until my Vet questioned it.  
    
    Thanks for the question & response- I was curious also.
2631.3WR2FOR::CORDESBRO_JOWed Jun 28 1989 20:456
    My queens will chew the whiskers off their kittens when the kittens
    are about 4 weeks old.  My theory is that they are trying to control
    them.  Four weeks is when the little tykes get pretty active, and
    spend less time being good little kittens in their box.
    
    Jo
2631.4musing on whiskersIOWAIT::WILDEAsk yourself..am I a happy cow?Wed Jun 28 1989 23:199
I'm no expert, but I know they fall out - I have some long white, slightly
stiff hairs that can only be Hannah's whiskers....and she has grown in a
replacement for one whisker that is tinted brown, which makes sense if
you remember she has siamese in her family tree.  She is getting a very
unique look, with one brown whisker and the brown freckles on her pink
nose...

Jo, maybe your moms chew off the kids whiskers because they tickle when
the kittens nurse?  Well, I know I would....8^}
2631.5believe me, they look really funny without themWR2FOR::CORDESBRO_JOWed Jun 28 1989 23:2910
    Even siamese cats have white whiskers.  I raise Birmans and they
    are colorpointed cats, all have white whiskers.
    
    I have one queen who just likes to chew whiskers I think.  All her
    babies are sheared and have been since they were 3 weeks old.  But,
    she also trys to shear Limoges who is not hers, and is almost 7
    months old.  I thought that since whiskers are used as antenna of
    sorts, she chews them off to keep the babies close to the nest.
    
    jo
2631.6Maybelline JulieCLUSTA::TAMIRACMS design while-u-waitThu Jun 29 1989 01:489
    Little Julie always had white whiskers to go with her red tabby fur. 
    But it looks like the 'replacement' whiskers are coming in black! 
    Maybe she's getting into Mom's mascara....
    
    Chauncey still has all white whiskers.  Honey's appear to be white,
    brown and striped!
    
    Mary
    
2631.7FREKE::WARDEvery cloud has a chocolate liningThu Jun 29 1989 12:037
    This morning when I picked up Becky, I noticed her whiskers are
    brown/black at the base and change to white about halfway out. 
    Velcro moves too fast for me to look at his, and Trouble's are all
    white.  
    
    Bernice
    Mother_of_Trouble+2
2631.8BAGELS::MATSISThu Jun 29 1989 14:027
    Chewy will be 2 years old in August.  She has been fixed and is
    the only pet in our house (well besides my cockateil, but I doubt
    the bird went after her).  She does go outside and there are other
    cats out there.   She has some white wiskers and others are
    brown/black.
    
    Pam
2631.9They may even be useful to me...NUTMEG::MASONExplaining is not understandingThu Jun 29 1989 15:176
    I have been saving the ones from our cats (when I see them prior
    to their disappearance into the vacuum) for years.  Someday I am
    going back to tying flies (boy, getting all their legs together
    is tough 8'), and I just KNOW the whiskers will be useful.
    
    Gary
2631.10SCRUZ::CORDES_JAWalk the DinosaurThu Jun 29 1989 17:138
    Amelia and Carrie have all white whiskers, but Bailey has mostly
    white and one black whisker.
    
    I had always heard that carrying a cat's whisker with you was good
    luck so whenever I find one I carry it in my wallet.  I keep losing
    the darned things in my change purse though.
    
    Jan
2631.11Yeast of the BrewerSLSTRN::GKELLERMost of it is / \ and the rest is (Thu Jun 29 1989 20:104
One of my parents cats lost all of its whiskers at one time. FWIW The vet said
that giving the cat brewer's yeast would help them grow back faster.

Geoff
2631.12<Two-tone>TUNER::BARNUMThu Jun 29 1989 20:146
    Hi
    
    I have a tuxedo cat, black and white.  His mouth whiskers are white
    and his forehead ones are all black.
    
    Susan
2631.13The naked look!CUPMK::TRACHMANExoticSH=Persian in UnderwearThu Jun 29 1989 20:5813
    
    I had to chuckle when I read this note.  I used to show my
    Mister Miyagi - a pretty black and white boy with the white
    spade on his face - he has VERY VERY long whiskers (eye brows)
    over both eyes - one of his most attractive features.  It seemed
    that 2 days before every show that I had entered him in, I would
    look at his face and wonder why he looked so naked????  It took
    a bit to realize that all his beautiful LONG PRETTY white eye
    brows (whiskers) had fallen out, with the exception of maybe
    one or two over each eye, making him look VERY VERY STRANGE!
    and very naked!  sigh  It never failed, I would have to show
    him like that - I don't think he ever kept his eye brows in
    for a show!
2631.14exFINS::CIOFFIFri Jun 30 1989 20:098
    Jasper has always had (in his 1+ years of this spoiled life) white
    wiskers, which match his orange/white tabby "outfit".  But recently
    my daughter noticed that he has one black wisker on each side of
    this face.......and she's not happy about this.  We're both hoping
    that they all don't grow in black.  We thought he was just a strange
    one, till I read note 6.  He's still a cutie though.
    karen
    
2631.15CRUISE::NDCFri Jul 07 1989 11:0612
    All of mine get mixed whiskers at one time or another, except Isis
    who is very consistently black all over.
    
    Another reason your cat might be missing whiskers could be a curious
    husband who has never quite grown up.  Once Jack cut off Mao's eyebrow
    whiskers to see how she looked  :-)  He knows better than to remove
    the regular whiskers on her muzzle.
    
      Men!
    
      Nancy DC
    
2631.16SCRUZ::CORDES_JAWalk the DinosaurFri Jul 07 1989 18:459
    RE:  .10
    
    I goofed and Bailey will never let me forget it.  I took a close
    look at her whiskers yesterday and she has all black whiskers except
    for 2 white ones on the right side of her face.
    
    Sorry Bailey.
    
    Jan
2631.17BAGELS::MATSISThu Jul 13 1989 19:017
    Nancy
    
    That's the first thing that I thought of and asked him.  He swears
    he didn't but you never know.   It is something that I wouldn't
    put past him.
    
    Pam