Why do cats grow beards?

1, physiological function of cat beard

A cat's beard is located around its lips, just like a sensor. They are called tentacles, and their length is roughly equivalent to the width of a cat. They are designed to feel the movement of the cat's body and the changes of the surrounding environment. Therefore, they play a sensory role other than the sight and hearing of cats.

Cats' beards are very important sensory organs, and their strong sensitivity enables them to perceive airflow and predict wind direction and moving direction. In addition, the sensory organs also contain a kind of tissue called "synapse", which is a sensory receptor that can sense the roughness and elasticity of the surface of an object. This can help cats catch their prey better and make them very suitable for hunting in the dark.

2. The growth law of cat beard

Most cats have 24 beards, which are distributed in the upper lip, lower jaw and both brow bones. These beards are related to the age, breed and health of cats. They will be constantly updated during the cat's growth, fall off every few months, and then regenerate a batch of new beards.

Unlike human hair, a cat's beard is not ordinary hair, but a special kind of hard hair called "brown hair". This kind of hair is harder, thicker and tougher than ordinary hair, which makes them adapt to more complicated environment and therefore is not easy to be damaged.

3. Dietary requirements for cat whiskers

A cat's beard is a very sensitive organ, which is easy to be hit and not easy to bend. The cat's diet has a certain relationship, which will also affect the growth of beard. If the diet is insufficient or of poor quality, it will lead to malnutrition, slow growth or insufficient beard density.

In order to keep the beard healthy and grow, cat owners should provide high-quality food and comprehensive nutrition, especially foods rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. In addition, cats should be given enough water and proper amount of vitamin E to help their beards grow healthily.

4, pay attention to the maintenance of the cat beard

Although the growth of a cat's beard is natural, the cat owner should also give it enough care and maintenance. It is very important to keep the cat's beard clean and dry, so as to avoid dust and grease blocking and jamming the beard.

In addition, in order to prevent the cat's beard from being bent or damaged, the cat owner is forbidden to tear off protein glue such as colored tape or setting glue, because they may stick to the beard and damage the cat's beard.

In short, good care can keep your cat's beard healthy, thick and shiny, and keep your cat aware of its prey at all times.