Whisker Fatigue in Cats

by Rina Van Eeden | May 4, 2021 | Animal Behaviour, Cats

The thought of tired whiskers may sound silly, but whisker fatigue can be a huge problem for your cat.

Most pet owners see their cat’s whiskers as simply a part of the body. Much like hair!

How Do Whiskers Work?

However, your cat’s whiskers are much more complex. Whiskers, which are called vibrissa, are coarse touch receptors that go far deeper under the skin. They eventually connect with the nervous system. Movement and touch affect the whiskers and send signals to their brain and sensory system. They act like antennas that constantly collect important information about your cat’s environment.

So, what is whisker fatigue? In basic terms, whisker fatigue is simply over-stimulation of the sensory system of the whiskers. When the whiskers are touched too much, even just the basic brushing against food and water bowls, your cat’s brain gets an overload of sensory information. This overwhelming stimulation can make your cat feel stressed. Some of the most common symptoms include refusal to eat or drink from their usual bowls, pacing in front of food bowls and meowing incessantly, pawing at food and water and acting more aggressive around food or treats.

Thankfully, correcting problems associated with whisker fatigue is quite simple. Manufacturers have started producing food bowls that are designed to be whisker-friendly. These dishes have a wider opening and are more shallow than regular food dishes, so your cat’s whiskers do not brush against the sides of the bowl. If you cannot find whisker-friendly pet dishes, feeding your cat in a shallow dish with low sides. These could be plates or saucers, will have the same effect.

In most cases, simple adjustments to how you feed your cat and the dish you use to do so will get rid of any symptoms of whisker fatigue and allow your cat to eat and drink happily.

Litter Box Hygiene

by Rina Van Eeden | May 15, 2020 | Animal Behaviour, Cats

Almost all cat owners consider litter boxes to be essential. Very few of us, these days, think it’s safe for our cats to go outdoors to eliminate, in order not to have a litter box in the house. And as soon as something goes wrong, like the cat urinating or defecating outside the box, we tend to blame the cat…but usually, it’s because the poor cat is finding the litter box to be a problem. How can we make the litter box NOT a problem for our cats, so they’ll use it happily?

First of all, the great folks at the Cornell Feline Health Center have studied cats’ litter preferences for years. They’ve found that most cats prefer unscented litter. Cats also prefer clumping litter, and they prefer the finest texture possible (sand-like). If you are using scented, coarse-textured, or other types of litter, try putting unscented, clumping, fine-textured litter in one of your boxes, and see how your cat(s) like it.

Second, we know that cats don’t always want to share boxes. The Cornell researchers recommend that you have at least one more litter box than you have cats (three cats? Four litter boxes!). From a cat’s point of view, boxes that are in the same room might as well be the same box; if you put all four boxes in the basement, the three cats feel like they’re all sharing one box. Spread those boxes around the house! Cats like some privacy, but they also like easy access to the bathroom (just like we do!).

Third, most of us don’t recognize the role that stress plays in our cats. Often, cats that are eliminating outside the box are experiencing stress. Cats can be stressed by living with other cats (our living spaces are smaller than cats prefer for their home ranges), by the presence of dogs or toddlers, by seeing other cats through the window, by their early life experiences before you adopted them, and especially by a genetic predisposition to higher stress levels (brain biochemistry differences). If you are experiencing urine or stools outside the litter box, please talk to your cat’s doctor for help! Most cats can be helped significantly!

Resources: Dr. Nina Beyer