Whisker follicles are dense with blood vessels and nerves. A hypersensitive setup, much like human fingertips. The 24 mystacial whiskers, a dozen on each side of their muzzle and the longest of their facial tactile hair, are symmetrical in length and placement. Their roots grow deep and contain sensory organs called proprioceptors. Cats have whiskers on their jaws, above their eyes, their ears, and on the back of their front legs. All gathering information independently and sending that data back to the brain at the same time. Whiskers are your cat's first look into their world. They are setup to sense vibrations, spaces, density, temperatures, surfaces, and textures.

These longer stiffer whiskers grow a length equal to the size of a cat, including their fur. The fluffier the kitty, the longer the whiskers. Much like octopus and their arms, mystacial whiskers are connected to a muscle "sling", which allows independent movement.

Their whiskers are sensitive to the shape and depth of food and water bowls. Whisker fatigue or stress is a thing for some cats. The bigger the kitty, the bigger the chance their bowl is a frustrating object, making eating or drinking uncomfortable. (Consider a television on too loud. Headlights at night. Too much spice in food. Or that one spoon or that one cup you will not use for any reason because they feel wrong in your mouth. For a human, all those stimulations are uncomfortable, and we prefer to avoid them.) 

Every cat being an individual, whisker fatigue behavior is different in each cat.

Common whisker stress symptoms

1. Flipping over bowls
2. Pawing at kibble to get them out of their bowl.
3. Refusing to eat food at the edge of their bowl.
4. Approaching mealtime with trepidation. 
5. Searching for an angle to eat.

If you think you've got a whisker stressed out cat, test drive the idea by using a paper plate at dinner. Of course, this low brow dining experience may offend your kitty. But if you've got their favorite food on the plate, you can see if open whisker space is important.

8 food bowl options to eliminate their stress and whisker fatigue.

Stainless Steel 

• Stainless Steel Whisker Stress Free Cat Food Bowl
• Dr. Catsby's Food Bowl for Whisker Relief
• Whisker Stress-Free Stainless-Steel Cat Dish with Nonslip Silicone

Ceramic

• Set of 3 Ceramic Shallow Whisker Fatigue Free Cat Food Plates
• Set of 3 Ceramic Cat Food Plates for Stress Relief of Whisker Fatigue

BPA free Melamine Plastic

• Set of 2 Whisker Stress Free Cat Food Bowl Reliefs Whisker Fatigue
• Set of 2 CatGuru Whisker Stress Free Cat Food Bowls

Renewable and Recyclable

• Blue Whisker-Friendly Wide Dish Cat Bowl

A final thought to fixing your cat's whisker stress. Cutting whiskers shorter is NOT AN OPTION. This idea causes pain, stress, and literally disables your cat's ability to live a full sensory life. NEVER TRIM CAT WHISKERS.

Bringing in low-profile stainless-steel, ceramic, or food grade melamine food and water bowls is an inexpensive fix to an anxiety inducing moment for your cat. Whisker stress for some cats is the root cause for other behavior problems. Anti-whisker stress bowls are a root fix to that stress.