Blind Cat's Whiskers Getting Mysteriously Broken

[FirstRescue]

I just adopted a blind kitten (Cleo) and her BFF Pixel. My intro to them is here.

I noticed a couple of Cleo's cheek whiskers seemed almost trimmed when I got her from the rescue. I notice today a few more are "trimmed." (Obviously I would never trim a blind cat's whiskers.)

I thought she might be rubbing against something sharp, but it's only happening on certain whiskers. If something was cutting them, i would think all the whiskers would be getting cut. Her eyebrows are not affected at all. It seems to be the cheek whiskers in the back that are most affected.

Check out the photos. Can the whiskers be breaking from play or bumping into things? Or any other thoughts on what's going on from other blind cat guardians? She needs her whiskers but I don't know how to help her.

Also, Pixel's whiskers look fine, so it's just Cleo with this issue.

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[Mamanyt1953]

Huh. I see something new every time I check the forums! Not having the experience, I did do some research and found a couple of articles about whisker breakage that might give you some ideas until one of our members who has experience with it gets here!
Whisker Stress -Does Your Cat Have It?
Broken Kitten Whiskers
What is Whisker Fatigue in Cats?
Are Kitten Whiskers Breaking Off a Serious Concern? Don't bother clicking on the "diet" link...it takes you to an advertisement for the Mayo diet for humans, however, it does make me think that you could check with your vet about the food you are using, just in case.

 

[FirstRescue]

Interesting links, thanks for posting. I hadn't heard of whisker fatigue, but it makes sense. Will change their water bowl to something more shallow.

I hope it's not Cleo's diet (and she's rather plump, not malnourished at all). I switched both kitties from dry Science Diet to canned Sheba three weeks ago. Sheba has few carbs so I thought it would be better than SD, at least for now. Since Pixel doesn't have the whisker issue and has the same diet, hopefully I can rule diet out.

If I don't find a solution, I might have to invent false glue-on whiskers for blind cats, like fake eyelashes. OK, maybe not, but it's a funny image, anyway

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Is Pixel maybe grooming Cleo on her face, around those whiskers? Sometimes grooming by another cat involves little nibble biting, then more licking... it could be that Pixel is accidentally nibbling Cleo's whiskers? I think stress can also cause some breaking of whiskers. Has Cleo been able to get around the house well (e.g. not a lot of changes in the household furniture, so that she can get a sense of where things permanently are)?

 

[FirstRescue]

Pixel doesn't groom Cleo at all. Maybe "best frenemies" is a better term until everyone feels secure and Pixel catches up in size. Cleo likes to beat up on little Pixel and always wins because she's larger. It's funny to think of a blind cat staking out/stalking a sighted one, but that's what she does.

I've only had them 3 weeks, but Cleo has learned her way around the house and furniture and stairs. She does like to play rough and wrestle and is pretty fearless. She definitely bumps into things when she gets the crazies. She never gets hurt from these collisions (that I know of). Lots of cats like to wrestle and don't get their whiskers snapped, but maybe Pixel is biting them during hard play? Maybe it's the collisions, but it is odd that it's the back whiskers that are snapped and not the front ones.

 

[mservant]

No experience of breaking whiskers from me but think the advice and thoughts so far are very useful - shame though also also good in this instance that pixel and Cleo are best frenemies. Love that phrase.
I hope you find out what the cause is and can stop it happening, though it sounds like Cleo is getting on great in her new home anyway.

 

[Ceracera]

Ive seen it before, but i dont know the *exact* reason or cure.

When I took my D home, some of her whiskers were broken and others were bent. For a while, i wondered if theyd all fall off eventually.

It stopped happening a few weeks after being home.

I don't know the exact reason it stopped, but I always use glass or ceramic plates for food and an automatic water bowl. The plates i have now are about $1 from ikea and have slightly raised edges so they can't nudge the food out OFTAST Plate, white - IKEA and this one for wet food OFTAST Deep plate/bowl, white - IKEA

Her breeder was using a small plastic bowl.

The water bowl i use is the stainless steel teardrop from pioneer pets. But i think this one is better: Pioneer Pet Stainless Steel Drinking Fountain Big Max Style

Pioneer Pet Ceramic Drinking Fountain Big Max Style

Ive never bought food bowls intended for cats, ever. Most of them are cute, but not very functional. Human plates are much better IMO.

I also changed her food. The breeder was feeding Royal Canin dry with dried beef mixed in, which I didn't think was good.

I don't think her breeder was feeding her enough either, so I suspected malnutrition to be part of the cause. She was pretty thin when i first picked her up. I could feel some of her bones.


Also... could it be related to her blindness? I know in people, hair loss and poor vision are signs of a bad liver. So if she wasn't born blind, maybe the broken whiskers are just a symptom.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Pixel doesn't groom Cleo at all. Maybe "best frenemies" is a better term until everyone feels secure and Pixel catches up in size. Cleo likes to beat up on little Pixel and always wins because she's larger. It's funny to think of a blind cat staking out/stalking a sighted one, but that's what she does.

I've only had them 3 weeks, but Cleo has learned her way around the house and furniture and stairs. She does like to play rough and wrestle and is pretty fearless. She definitely bumps into things when she gets the crazies. She never gets hurt from these collisions (that I know of). Lots of cats like to wrestle and don't get their whiskers snapped, but maybe Pixel is biting them during hard play? Maybe it's the collisions, but it is odd that it's the back whiskers that are snapped and not the front ones.

Cats without vision are amazing, aren't they? I'm not surprised that she is stalking Pixel at all! Perhaps the most idiotic thing I ever heard said about cats from a non-cat person was, upon watching a blind kitten play, "GEE! They're just like "real" cats, aren't they?" He was so stunned. I rolled.

That back-whisker thing triggered a thought. Could she be poking her head into stuff, exploring smells and such, and breaking the whiskers on the pull-out?

 

[FirstRescue]

I saw on an SPCA site that blind cats and dogs have high "whisker wear" because of constant use. I suppose since she's in a new house and still learning all the details that her whiskers are getting a workout.

Poking her head into small places and breaking the whiskers as she pulls back out is a good possibility. Like a lot of cats, she likes tight spaces. I'll definitely keep an eye out for that.

Thanks for the recommendations for bowls. They eat off salad plates and have a shallow water dish, so I'll see how those go.

Cleo is trying to help me type right now, so I'm off to play with them.

 

[mservant]

Good luck with the playing, if Cleo is like all the kittens I know she will still be determined to help you even after the longest play session you can manage.
It doesn't sound like the whiskers are holding her back too much for now so hopefully the breakages won't get any worse.

 

[dustydiamond1]

Interesting links, thanks for posting. I hadn't heard of whisker fatigue, but it makes sense. Will change their water bowl to something more shallow.

I hope it's not Cleo's diet (and she's rather plump, not malnourished at all). I switched both kitties from dry Science Diet to canned Sheba three weeks ago. Sheba has few carbs so I thought it would be better than SD, at least for now. Since Pixel doesn't have the whisker issue and has the same diet, hopefully I can rule diet out.

If I don't find a solution, I might have to invent false glue-on whiskers for blind cats, like fake eyelashes. OK, maybe not, but it's a funny image, anyway

 

[dustydiamond1]

I saw on an SPCA site that blind cats and dogs have high "whisker wear" because of constant use. I suppose since she's in a new house and still learning all the details that her whiskers are getting a workout.

Poking her head into small places and breaking the whiskers as she pulls back out is a good possibility. Like a lot of cats, she likes tight spaces. I'll definitely keep an eye out for that.
Thanks for the recommendations for bowls. They eat off salad plates and have a shallow water dish, so I'll see how those go.Cleo is trying to help me type right now, so I'm off to play with them,

Cleo is trying to help me type right now, so I'm off to play with them.
You should post her picture in the Cats 'helping' thread. We use our human Corelle® small bowls for Gypsys food and a couple of their bigger soup bowls for her water.

 

[tmactoth]

Another cause of broken whiskers is ringworm. With my new kittens, broken whiskers were almost the only visible sign of the illness. I have learned that kittens are more susecptible to ringworm than healthy adults. Mine were lab tested, and their broken whiskers were related to ringworm. They grew out normally after treating for ringworm.

 

[lunablindcat]

Hi there, I am new to this and I know this is an old post but funny enough, there is nothing else on the internet that has been so specific to my situation. I have a blind kitten named Luna who had both eyes surgically removed in January (3 months post op now) and she has the exact same whisker look as your kitty in this picture!! Did you ever figure out why they were broken only on the back whiskers? Was it whisker fatigue? I have been worrying about ringworm because someone has posted a few things about that but my vet has said he thinks it's related to a neuropathy due to the eye removal. One other person I have talked to said their blind kitten itched their face (like my Luna does) for 6 months post op then just stopped. Would love to hear back!

 

[dustydiamond1]

Hi there, I am new to this and I know this is an old post but funny enough, there is nothing else on the internet that has been so specific to my situation. I have a blind kitten named Luna who had both eyes surgically removed in January (3 months post op now) and she has the exact same whisker look as your kitty in this picture!! Did you ever figure out why they were broken only on the back whiskers? Was it whisker fatigue? I have been worrying about ringworm because someone has posted a few things about that but my vet has said he thinks it's related to a neuropathy due to the eye removal. One other person I have talked to said their blind kitten itched their face (like my Luna does) for 6 months post op then just stopped. Would love to hear back!

Bless you for giving a loving furrever home to your blind girl Luna. We'd love photos. Hopefully someone here can offer some good advice. I wonder if there is some way to strengthen the wiskers either through diet or something to rub on to make them less brittle. Did the person you talked to say if a reason for her kittens itching was determined, like perhaps a food allergy etc..? Hang in there and fingers crossed we can come up with a solution. @tabbytom are you on now?

 

[lunablindcat]

thank you! No they actually said it resolved after 6 months and then randomly every now and then flares up. I’ve tried putting Luna on salmon oil but it’s too soon to tell if it’s helping her skin and whiskers. Here’s some photos of her! You can see the cropped whiskers in the close up. She came from the SPCA where she had been found in a field all alone at a few weeks old with bad cat flu (prob herpes) and one ruptured eye and one almost ruptured eye. She had emergency enucleation and has been living her best life ever since (minus the itchy face)

 

[dustydiamond1]

thank you! No they actually said it resolved after 6 months and then randomly every now and then flares up. I’ve tried putting Luna on salmon oil but it’s too soon to tell if it’s helping her skin and whiskers. Here’s some photos of her! You can see the cropped whiskers in the close up. She came from the SPCA where she had been found in a field all alone at a few weeks old with bad cat flu (prob herpes) and one ruptured eye and one almost ruptured eye. She had emergency enucleation and has been living her best life ever since (minus the itchy face)View attachment 415991View attachment 415992View attachment 415993

She is beautiful Thank Heavens for those who found her, those who healed her and you for loving her

 

[dustydiamond1]

A wonderful lady with a one eyed pirate cat said he had a bunch of broked whiskers at first and was scratching a bunch but turned out to be fleas. His whiskers have grown back and are fine. She suggested it might clear as Luna gets used to it, it has been 10 months now for him. Has she been flea treated?

 

[tarasgirl06]

thank you! No they actually said it resolved after 6 months and then randomly every now and then flares up. I’ve tried putting Luna on salmon oil but it’s too soon to tell if it’s helping her skin and whiskers. Here’s some photos of her! You can see the cropped whiskers in the close up. She came from the SPCA where she had been found in a field all alone at a few weeks old with bad cat flu (prob herpes) and one ruptured eye and one almost ruptured eye. She had emergency enucleation and has been living her best life ever since (minus the itchy face)View attachment 415991View attachment 415992View attachment 415993

Just welcoming you and lovely LUNA to TCS and hoping those with knowledge of this condition can help. She is such a beauty!

 

[Avery]

A good friend adopted an older blind cat about ten months ago. We took him to an eye specialist and they said there was no reason to remove his eyes, but he did have entropion surgery for one eye because the eyelashes were turned inward. After the surgery, we noticed that the whiskers on one side of his face were shorter or missing. The vet had no idea what had happened, suggested that maybe he knocked them off in the cone or in his carrier. Most of the whiskers grew back, but to this day, that side of his face has fewer, shorter whiskers. After he eats, he does clean and rub his face more on that side (and he is a very intent cleaner!) so we thought that could be the reason. Luckily, our vet didn't seem concerned but it remains a mystery!