Whiskers Breaking Off?

I was looking at 007 today and noticed that most, if not all, of the whiskers on one side were VERY, very short (like, 1/4 inch if at that). I know when I adopted him in late December that the previous owner's sons had cut some with a pair of scissors, but those would have grown back by now, correct? And why would the others suddenly break off? I looked to see if perhaps they'd been burnt, like he'd gotten too close to a candle but no, and not only that but we haven't even had any candles lit since New Year's.

Then HJ said that maybe he was losing his "kitten whiskers" and getting new ones in, but I don't think they lose their whiskers, do they?? I've owned kittens before and not once have I ever seen something like this.

If they are breaking off, could it be due to poor nutrition??

Ah its just, weird. LOL

I'm not sure why this would happen but I do remember that my kittens Starr and Pearl would also sometimes have short whiskers. I just thought it was because they were rough housing so much that the whiskers broke off. Now that they're almost 8 and 10 months old, their whiskers are much longer and healthier looking. It may just be a kitten thing.

Its not unusual at The Found Cat Hotel,to find the Odd Whisker lying on the Bed.
I think that they just break off naturally.

If some of your cat's whiskers were only a quarter of an inch long in late December, then I wouldn't have expected them to grow back by now. I think it would take a bit longer than that.

I agree with KK... It takes longer than a month for them to grow back, give it time.

Just to point something out ...

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Originally Posted by Jessika

And why would the others suddenly break off?

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If I'm reading correctly she's saying the previous owners only cut some of the whiskers off and now the ones that were left natural are breaking off.

;)

It could be from too much grooming. Are the dogs licking 007's face? Whenever any of my kittens have missing whiskers like that, it was from another cat grooming their face a lot.

How did you know they were cut in December? Did they tell you that or did you just assume it? It could be that 007 is a heavy groomer and favors one side of his face more than the other.

Blunted whiskers can also be a sign of internal parasites. Was he dewormed when you got him? Cats can often have tape worms from their mother without it being detected (sometimes they don't even show up in a sample). I found out Seine had them, she was demormed but not for tape worms. Luckily a quick visit to the vet took care of it.

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Originally Posted by Pembroke_Corgi

Blunted whiskers can also be a sign of internal parasites. Was he dewormed when you got him? Cats can often have tape worms from their mother without it being detected (sometimes they don't even show up in a sample). I found out Seine had them, she was demormed but not for tape worms. Luckily a quick visit to the vet took care of it.

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Actually it is roundworms that they can get from their mother, but yes they can get tapeworms as well.
I have heard of that too.

I'd suggest a trip to the vets if you haven't done so already (should get tested for leuk & fiv if she's old enough too).

It may just be from too much grooming or roughhousing like mentioned before too.

While I am no expert I always assumed it was natural for whiskers to come out, just like the occasional eyelash or hair on a human. I find them from time to time and they do grow back, so they do look shorter until they're fully grown back in..

When my cat Pink Nose had the side of his face shaved for surgery, it took many months for the whiskers to grow back in. Also, with Smokey the Elder after her chemo.

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Originally Posted by catnapper

How did you know they were cut in December? Did they tell you that or did you just assume it? It could be that 007 is a heavy groomer and favors one side of his face more than the other.

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No they were cut, we asked and they told us. He also has fur on his back legs that was cut off too, as well as some skin.. another reason why I was hesitant to give him back and ultimately ended up keeping him.

And .sarah you're exactly right :)

And the whiskers aren't FALLING out, they're breaking off, I think you're misunderstanding me.

He has been dewormed and finished the treatment and is worm-free right now (he had them pretty badly when he first came into my care but we got rid of ALL the nasty worms). Could the effect of the worms be doing this to him still, even over a month later??