Why Do Cats Need Their Whiskers to Balance?

A cat's face has 24 stiff, wiry whiskers -- typically 12 on each side of the nose -- as well as whiskers above the eyes and around the chin and mouth. These whiskers, or vibrissae, provide an acute sense of touch to a cat that is unparalleled. While a cat can maintain its balance without its whiskers, their loss makes it nearly impossible to do so because of the varying functions performed by whiskers, and their interaction with the cat's central nervous system.

  1. Whiskers As Touch Receptors

    • When humans balance on a tightrope or beam, they are using a sense of touch to help stay centered. A cat's whiskers work in a similar fashion to assist him in balance. Whiskers connect to sensitive touch receptors that react to pressure and carry messages to the rest of the cat's body to help him react to the environment around him. If a cat's whiskers feel a change in pressure on his left side, for example, he can immediately compensate for these changes by adjusting on the right side to maintain his balance. The whiskers are extremely sensitive to the slightest adjustment in the smallest breeze, which can assist a cat in gauging the safety of walking on anything of height, such as a fence.

    Whiskers as a Measuring Tool

    • A cat's whiskers are about as wide as his body, allowing him to determine whether he can enter a hole or other narrow opening. If a cat is on an object of height -- such as a piece of furniture, a fence or a tree -- whiskers can help his eyes to determine how far he needs to jump by feeling the air movement or detecting any objects around him. If whiskers have fallen out or been cut off, a cat's ability to determine proper depth perception is affected as he jumps or even falls; the cat can tilt to one side as he jumps because he has misinterpreted the surroundings.

    Whiskers For Movement

    • A cat's whiskers are the equivalent of the human fingertips. A cat can sense an air change around an object, or determine whether something is coming toward him, merely through the sensitivity of his whiskers. This advises the cat of both prey and danger, allowing him to determine whether he should stop or continue moving. This again affects a cat's balance as it navigates around or over objects while running, or avoiding danger in front or to the side while on a high or narrow object. A cat can easily stumble and fall over without this heightened sense during movement.

    Whiskers For Night

    • While a cat has excellent night vision, he cannot see in total darkness. Whiskers help a cat navigate and balance as he runs, jumps and climbs at night as he senses air flow around an object. Cutting off a cat's whiskers will cause him to bump into items that he cannot sense are present, affecting his balance as he navigates through a room.