Types of Cat Hair

Whether long-haired or short-haired, a cat has several different types of hair on its body. These hair types combine to provide insulation and temperature control for the cat, as well as sensory appreciation of their environment. Generally, cats will have a thinner, shorter coat in summer than winter (moulting as the weather warms), but the hair types all remain present whatever the season.

  1. Guard Hairs

    • Guard hairs provide the outermost layer of the cat's coat and are the longest hairs within that coat. Normally guard hairs are straight, tapering to a point at their tip. The part of the hair beneath the cat's skin (the subcutaneous part) is wider in diameter, anchoring the guard hair firmly. Guard hairs are important for the cat's sense of touch and also provide an initial layer of insulation against the cold.

    Awn Hairs

    • The awn hairs are also important for insulation. These are thinner hairs that are among the guard hairs on the cat's outer coat. Like the guard hairs they taper towards the tip but do have a thicker point just before the tip (called a subapical swelling). They also anchor subcutaneously with a wider root.

    Secondary Hairs

    • Secondary, or down, hairs make up the undercoat of the cat. They are integral in controlling the temperature of the cat's skin. They are the thinnest, finest and shortest hairs on the cat's body and are the same diameter along their entire length. Secondary hairs may undulate, becoming wavy.

    Whiskers

    • The cat's whiskers are the long hairs attached to nerve cells in the face of the cat. They occur primarily on each side of the mouth, on the chin and above the eyes. They serve a very important tactile function. Indeed, cats use their whiskers to determine which spaces they can move through. Their incredible sensitivity also enables the cat to sense objects in complete darkness, by the movement of air currents, altered by the presence of the object, around the whiskers. The technical term for whiskers is vibrissae.

    Hairless

    • There are some cats who do not have any of the hair types mentioned above: sphynx cats, also called Canadian hairless cats, are now bred to be entirely without hair, including whiskers. They are a robust breed but are indoor pets because the lack of hair means they are unable to conserve body heat in cold conditions and are prone to sunburn when the weather is warm.