If you have a cat, it may sometimes happen that your four-legged friend does not want to eat from the bowl, but keeps meowing hungrily. It doesn’t just do it, probably “whisker fatigue” is to blame, check it out.
Cats are slightly mysterious creatures, they kind of live their own lives and can usually take care of themselves very well. And that’s why it can be worrying when you find out that your cat is meowing that it’s hungry but doesn’t want to. That is, when the bowl is half empty. If you fill it to the brim and the cat eats without any problems, it may be a phenomenon called “whisker fatigue”. What does this mean? Take a look.
You can find a YouTube video about “whisker fatigue” on the Cat Toy Lady channel:
Whisker fatigue
As you probably know, cats have whiskers on their snouts. However, many people mistakenly believe that these whiskers are basically like human hair. But cat whiskers have a fundamental function, as they serve cats to better orient themselves in their surroundings. What is important is that they are sensitively connected to skin receptors. At the end of the whiskers are sensors that transmit the vibrations of the whiskers to the brain center. In English, whiskers are called “whiskers” and “fatigue” means tiredness.
You may already understand where he is going with this title. When cats want to eat, but the food is at the bottom of the bowl, cats of course the whiskers hit the sides of the bowl. This can be uncomfortable for the cat, and it can also cause stress and irritation. Therefore, it can sometimes happen that the cat has food in the bowl, but is still hungry and does not want to eat. But if you fill the bowl to the brim, the cat’s whiskers will no longer touch the walls of the bowl, and she will eat normally without any problems.
This phenomenon is still being researched, but many people believe that beard overload could be a really serious topic and problem. No one wants their cat to be stressed and irritable, and not even eat or drink because of it. So how can you help your cat in such cases?
How to help a cat
As you may have noticed in certain cases, the cat will start throwing the food out of the bowl and eating it on the ground. To avoid this, it is ideal to buy a special bowl for water and food, which will prevent contact between the whiskers and the walls of the bowl. Mostly it is about wide, and not so deep bowlswhich look very similar to plates. Just ask at the pet store, they will surely advise you there. The individual bowls can also be divided according to how big your cat’s whiskers are, but that is up to you and the type of cat.
