WEBVTT - Why do cats have whiskers?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff from house stuff works dot com, where

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<v Speaker 1>smart happens him Marshall Brain with today's question, why do

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<v Speaker 1>cats have whiskers? Whiskers are also known as tactle hairs,

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<v Speaker 1>and they are long, thick, flexible hairs on a cat's face.

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<v Speaker 1>These hairs are located in horizontal rows on the whisker pad,

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<v Speaker 1>the puffy area between the top corners of the cat's

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<v Speaker 1>mouth and the outer edges of his nose. Whiskers are

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<v Speaker 1>like normal hair and that they fall out and do

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<v Speaker 1>get replaced. But whiskers are different from a cat's body

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<v Speaker 1>hair in a few different ways. First, whiskers should never

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<v Speaker 1>be cut or trimmed, and we'll see why later. Whiskers

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<v Speaker 1>are two to three times thicker than a cat's hair.

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<v Speaker 1>And finally, whiskers are rooted very deep in the cat's

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<v Speaker 1>face in an area rich in nerves and blood vessels.

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<v Speaker 1>In addition to having the long tactle hairs on their cheeks,

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<v Speaker 1>cats also have shorter ones above their eyebrows, on their chin,

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<v Speaker 1>and on the back of their front legs. Since we're

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<v Speaker 1>most familiar with facial whiskers, let's look at what they're

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<v Speaker 1>good for. First. They're good for navigation, second, they're good

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<v Speaker 1>for mood indication, and third they're good for measuring and opening.

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<v Speaker 1>Whiskers help the cat feel his way around a room

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<v Speaker 1>or an area. Whiskers are so sensitive that they can

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<v Speaker 1>detect the slightest directional change in a breeze at night.

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<v Speaker 1>For example, this helps a cat slink its way through

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<v Speaker 1>a room and not bump into anything. How it's because

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<v Speaker 1>the air currents in the room change depending on where

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<v Speaker 1>pieces of furniture are located. As the cat walks through

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<v Speaker 1>the room and approaches a couch, he'll know which direction

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<v Speaker 1>to turn based on the change in air current around

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<v Speaker 1>the couch. In addition to having sensory properties, cat's whiskers

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<v Speaker 1>are also a good indicator of his mood. When a

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<v Speaker 1>cat is angry or feels defensive, the whiskers will be

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<v Speaker 1>pulled back. Otherwise, when a cat is happy or curious

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<v Speaker 1>or content, the whiskers will be more relaxed and pushed forward.

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<v Speaker 1>But the whiskers primary use is to help a cat

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<v Speaker 1>judge whether or not he'll fit through an opening. A

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<v Speaker 1>cat's whiskers are roughly as wide as his body, sort

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<v Speaker 1>of like a natural ruler. The whisker tips are sensitive

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<v Speaker 1>to pressure. You'll notice that a cat will stick his

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<v Speaker 1>head in and out of an opening before he puts

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<v Speaker 1>his body in. He's judging the width of that opening

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<v Speaker 1>and is determining if he can fit into it. An

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<v Speaker 1>interesting note, cats don't have true collar bones like humans do.

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<v Speaker 1>This allows them to turn and twist their way through

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<v Speaker 1>very narrow openings compared to a human being. Be sure

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