18 Chapter 2Touch
The vibrissae (whiskers)
These are:
● The mystacials: the large whiskers on either side of the nose.
● The supercilliary: situated just above the eyes
● The genals: smaller hairs situated on the side of the face.
● Carpel hairs: found on the back of the forelegs.
The whiskers, scientifically known as the vibrissae, are thickened hairs embedded
deeply within the skin, around three times deeper than regular guard hairs. Large num-
bers of mechanoreceptors, sensory neurons responsive to pressure or distortion, are
found at the base of the vibrissae, making them sensitive enough to detect air currents.
When the cat is hunting, the large facial whiskers (the mystacials) take over from the
eyes to compensate for the cat’s poor close visual focusing. This is achieved by the
whiskers being pushed forward to envelope the prey when it is close to the face enabling
the cat to accurately detect and manipulate it. Cats are also able to get the best overall
picture of their close surroundings and position in relation to nearby obstacles by com-
bining visual input with sensory information from the whiskers (Bradshaw et al., 2012).
The feet
A cat’s feet play an important role in hunting and defence, and are used to investigate
and explore novel objects by touch. They are highly sensitive, containing a very high
Fig. 2.2. The ‘flehmen response’, activating
the vomeronasal organ. © Lucy Hoile.