Your cat’s whiskers are a sign of their well-being.
If they are broken, your feline might struggle. The most common cause of whisker breakage is rubbing against something.
This might be an unseen plaque in your kitten’s mouth or facial wrinkles. You can talk to a vet to figure out what’s wrong with your cat’s whiskers and how to fix them.
So, why do my cat’s whiskers keep breaking off?
Cat whiskers are very sensitive and prone to breakage.
However, there are a few reasons why your cat’s whiskers keep breaking off. First, whiskers can grow in many different directions.
If your cat walks on rough surfaces or runs across doors or windows, the whiskers can get damaged and break. Second, cats have dozens of whiskers on their faces.
Whiskers that grow near each other can become tangled and cause breakage. Third, your cat may groom her whiskers with her teeth.
This can damage the whiskers and make them break. Finally, if your cat brushes up against rough surfaces or sharp objects, the whiskers may become damaged and break.
Cats can lose whiskers for many reasons, but most of them can be prevented by careful grooming and cat-proofing your home.
Is It Normal for a Cat’s Whiskers to Break?
Cats can be sneaky, agile, and incredibly quick on their feet, so it’s common for cats to lose a whisker or two every once in a while.
Natural wear and tear causes many felines to lose a few of their long appendages each year, but this is usually nothing to worry about.
Is It Normal For A Cat’s Whisker To Come Off?
While it may seem frightening, it is completely normal for a cat to lose a whisker or two from time to time.
Cats, in fact, lose all of their hair regularly through both shedding and re-growth, so a broken whisker should be viewed as no more than a minor inconvenience for your feline friend.
Cats shed their fur and whiskers on a daily and sometimes hourly basis, so broken or lost hairs should be seen as nothing more than natural wear and tear in your pet’s appearance.
It is typically not a cause for concern if one of your feline friends breaks a whisker or two in the course of their normal activity level.
In reality, your cat’s whiskers and hairs are nothing more than tiny hairs growing out of her body; therefore, they should not be thought of as anything more than an annoyance to your pet when they decide to fall off or break off.
Why Do My Cat’s Whiskers Keep Breaking Off?
Your Cat Could Be Having Allergic Reactions
If you have recently changed the things you use on your floors and walls, you may have inadvertently caused an allergic reaction in your pet that is causing the breakage.
The same thing might apply to any scents that you have added to your home recently, such as new cleaning products or shampoos.
Your Cat Might Have a Fungal Infection.
Hair loss may occur if an infection is present in the follicles of hair.
Infections often show up on the skin as warts and on the fur as flaky or crusty patches, which makes the fur break more often than usual.
Your Cat Might Have a Skin Condition. If you don’t know what’s wrong with your cat’s skin, like eczema or psoriasis, it could cause hair loss and broken whiskers.
If you suspect a fungal infection is the cause of your kitten’s hair loss, your vet may prescribe antifungal medication to treat it.
Your Cat’s Whiskers May Be Itchy.
Some cats may scratch themselves violently, shedding skin, hair, and whiskers in the process.
An enzyme deficiency or vitamin deficiency may cause a feline’s hair to grow more slowly, causing them to lose their whiskers over time.
A stressed cat may spin in circles trying to remove his or her whiskers, which can cause them to break.
If your cat’s muzzle is sore due to dental problems or other health issues, he or she may also break their whiskers by rubbing their faces against the floor or other hard surfaces.
Your Cat Is Predisposed to Have Weak Whiskers.
The rex gene, for instance, enables a cat to develop weak facial hairs, which often causes them to fall out more frequently than cats that do not carry the gene.
The rex gene results in the development of an undercoat of soft hair that is thinner and less dense than a normal coat.
Whisker loss is more common in Siamese cats, Persian cats, Birman cats, Burmese cats, Himalayan cats, and Oriental Shorthairs than it is in other breeds of domestic cat.
Your Cat May Not Be Receiving the Proper Amount of Nutrition.
A cat that is lacking in certain nutrients may not be able to produce healthy hair and may also experience breakage and hair loss in other areas as well.
It is critical to differentiate between nutritional deficiencies and other medical issues that may be causing hair loss and breakage in your cat.
Your Cat May Be Suffering From a Hormonal Imbalance.
If the hormone balance in a cat’s body is out of sync, noticeable hair loss and breakage may occur.
Allergies, certain medications, and some digestive diseases may also affect hormone levels, destroying hair shafts and making them more likely to fall out.
Your Cat Is A Bad Housekeeper
Although whiskers are far thicker than other hairs on a cat’s body, they are also prone to falling out if they are not regularly brushed.
If a cat gets jostled or plays too rough with his or her face and head, the fragile hairs that make up their beard and mustache may become damaged, causing them to fall out more quickly.
What Happens If Your Cat’s Whiskers Break?
There is no need to panic if your cat loses a few whiskers from time to time.
Simply trim the broken end to be even with the rest of the fur and keep the area clean to prevent infection.
If your cat seems to be in pain or is having severe facial irritation due to broken whiskers, a veterinarian should be consulted immediately for proper diagnosis and treatment.
If your cat seems to have lost the majority or all of its facial hair, you may have an underlying medical issue that should be evaluated and treated as soon as possible.
This is because a cat without facial hair might not be able to clean itself well, making it more likely to get skin infections and other health problems.
As a result, being outside puts your outdoor cat at a great risk of contracting various infections from fleas and other parasites that can easily transmit disease through their bites.
Also Read: Why Are My Cat’s Whiskers So Long?
Final Words
Cats’ whiskers aid them in navigating their environment much like our sense of touch does for us.
While a little amount of shedding here and there is normal for most felines, frequent or excessive whisker loss may indicate that something is wrong.
Cats usually lose one to four whiskers a year as their hair grows back. If they lose 20 or more whiskers in a year, this could be a sign that something is wrong and they need to see a vet right away.
If a cat is upset or irritable for no reason after losing a lot of whiskers, it may be necessary to have it checked out by a vet to make sure it doesn’t have a medical problem that is causing it to lose so much facial hair.
If your cat is losing a lot of whiskers without a clear reason, you should take it to the vet to get a proper diagnosis and find out what’s wrong so that the right treatment can be given.
