Cat Behavior

Cats and Whisker Stress (yes it’s a real thing)

Stacy Mantle 11 years ago

Believe it or not, whisker stress is a real problem amongst cats of the world. It primarily occurs when your cat’s whiskers touch the sides of a bowl while eating.

You may say to yourself, “Whisker stress?! As if I don’t have enough worries, now I need to be concerned about my cat having whisker stress…”

[heading style=”2″ color=”#ff9933″ style_color=”#ff9933″]Signs that your cat suffers from Whisker Stress[/heading]

Your cat prefers to eat from the floor, pulling out each piece of kibble one at a time.
Your cat refuses to eat from a bowl, scooping the food onto the floor with a paw to eat.
Your cat paces angrily in front of a half-full bowl, meowing piteously as he wonders what he did to anger you.

Not to worry – there is a simple cure to this common ailment. But in order to discuss how to fix the problem, we must first look at the causes.

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Yet, it is a real affliction – and one that can result in any number of undesirable behaviors in your favorite feline. From not eating to dropping food around the house, this is a real disease that affects many felines. To understand the disease, you have to understand how a bit about cat biology.

A cat’s whiskers are highly sensitive, and as critical to your cat’s lifestyle as sonar is to a dolphin. Whiskers tell a cat what size opening they can fit through because they are the same size as a cat’s body. They help a cat move around at night in low light without bumping into anything. They can even detect the slightest disturbance by measuring air currents and the best way to navigate around an object!

So imagine how uncomfortable it is to a cat when they attempt to eat from a small bowl. Their whiskers touch the side of the bowl, making it difficult for the cat to sense anything but plastic or ceramic.

Resolve this issue by giving your cats specialty food bowls from which to consume their kibble. Some of our favorites are on the luxurious side, such as this beautiful dish from the Wetnoz Ultra Fat Cat Luxury Cat Dish. Another favorite is the ModaPet Cat Bowl made from BPA-free plastics.

But you can achieve the same results by using platters from the dollar store, or even using plates and saucers from those you have migrated into pet use. The key to avoiding whisker stress is to use a wide, shallow bowl or saucer.