Why do cats have whiskers?

Cats have 24 whiskers that are made from the same component that finger nails are made of. Cats use their whisker for to primary reasons: to detect changes in their environment and to communicate with other cats. You can check this article out to find out why do cats like it when you touch their whiskers.

Why Do Mother Cats Chew Off Their Kitten’s Whiskers

Many cat owners have reported instances where there mother cast chew off their kitten’s whiskers. The main reason that mother cats chew of their kitten’s whiskers is because of excessive grooming, control, and habit.

Excessive Grooming

As you are probably well aware, mother cats love to groom their kittens. Not only do they like to keep their kittens clean, but they also like to pass their unique scent onto their kittens. Cats generally have most of their scent located near their face and on their tongue, which is why you will commonly see mother cats licking their kittens. Sometimes, a mother cat will groom their kittens face for an extended period of time. This can cause the kittens whiskers to end up in the mother’s mouth. Every now and then the whiskers can fall out by getting licked. There is no need to panic, because a kitten’s whisker will grow back quickly.

Control

A mother cat will also chew their kitten’s whiskers to assert dominance and control. Some cat owners have reported that their mother cat will chew off their kitten’s whiskers when the kitten misbehaves. This could be a result of the kitten wandering off, fighting with siblings, or taking food from another kitten’s food bowl. 

Stress/Habit

As we mentioned earlier, a cat’s whiskers are made from the same material as fingernails. It can sometimes be amusing for a cat to chew on the whiskers of their kittens. Some people also hypothesize that a mother cat will chew off their kitten’s whiskers when they are stressed about something. You can compare it to when humans get nervous and decide to chew on their own fingernails.