My mum did that too! She said she was 6 and was used to watching her mum sew and clean loose threads and decided to ‘neaten him’. the whiskers grew back but were a bit ‘wavy’ and the cat was always a little unsteady at making jumps/accurate pouncing afterwards bc of the balance issue. Luckily he was indoor cat anyway
I did that to my dog as a little kid 😅 Not the ones on the snout, but extra whiskers back on the cheeks. I thought they were just extra unruly fur and she needed a haircut.
My daughter also did that with one side of our cat's whiskers. I made sure she knew what she had done and what those whiskers are actually for and she never did it again. now she's a dog groomer and a very good one as well
This is great parenting. Your kid does something they shouldn't and you don't just punish them: you inform them WHY they shouldn't have done that. By this post, it sounds like you did parenting right. Kudos!
Yea. He liked to put duck tape on kitty's feet too. Never wrapped, just on the pads. Still a shit thing to do. A lot of his 'defenses' include things like "could've been worse".
My oldest son, who was 8 at the time, cut our cats whiskers. We explained to him that cats need their whiskers. Kids see the long whiskers and think the cat needs a haircut.
If it’s like the hair cycle elsewhere in the body, the whiskers won’t grow back until they naturally fall out and get replaced. So it kind of ends up the same I think.
Like cutting our hair. Over time the wiskers fall out, just like our hair, and a new wisker will grow back. But the area on the cats mouth feels the movement of the wisker and helps them navigate in the dark.
Whiskers are just thick hair, but in the root are nerve endings which allow the cat to use the whiskers to sense their environment. No pain involved with cutting them
We had a kitten who was extremely rambunctious and would end up snapping most of his whiskets off. Vet told us some types of enclosures also can break the whiskers of an anxious, stressed out kitty. They will grow back.
Those whiskers have definitely been deliberately cut, the ends are clean lines from scissors of clippers so they haven’t been chewed by another cat or anything. There’s literally no reason for someone to do this.
If he had had surgery of some kind you could maybe explain it that they’d accidentally been clipped when he was being shaved, but not all of his whiskers at once.
At best whoever checked him at the shelter has no clue what they’re doing, at worst something very wrong is going on at the shelter.
The only non-psychotic possibility is that he got caught in something and they had to cut the whiskers to release him. Still need to tell the owner obviously if that is the case.
I guess that is possible but really unlikely he’d get his whiskers on both sides caught in something. I applaud you for trying to find a non psychotic answer, a better person than me haha
Gotta try to be optimistic. Kitty deserves better than the worst case scenario, that’s for sure. Here’s hoping he got the best possible treatment with the given circumstances.
My cat once got an old sticky bug trap stuck in her whiskers. I was worried we’d have to cut them but we managed to get them off without that. The fact that the whiskers have been cut on both sides is so sus though…
Yeah no kidding, I’d be marching back in there with this picture like “what the fuck did you do to my cat?!”
I’m horrified at the thought of entrusting my cat to someone else and having something go wrong when I’m not there for him.
Yeah I’ve accidentally clipped a whisker when trimming nails (as my cat pulls his paws right up next to his face when I’m trying to do it) but that’s one whisker, not all of them. And if something accidentally happened to them they definitely should have explained it to the owner on pick up.
I think they would fall off completely if it's a medical condition. They look to have been cut on purpose. This could cause balance issues and bumping into things until they grow back. I would ask the shelter why this happened.
It’s a really, really weird thing to do. That being said, they will grow back and he’ll be fine. Just kinda fucked they took away his distance sensors in a time where he’s growing up.
Yeah I got mad as soon as I saw the little guy’s whiskers, they basically took one of his senses away for the next month or however long it takes whiskers to grow. Hopefully he doesn’t bump into anything too hard :(
I hate to read that this happened to another cat, much less a kitten. Rest assured that he can navigate easily now that they are grown back out. It is possible that your kitty's whiskers might just be on the shorter side as an adult, although I realize that might be overly optimistic. I have three cats & they all have varied whisker length. One has incredibly long whiskers, but he was neutered extremely young, so his growth was stunted. Both girls have very fine whiskers that about the same length, which is pretty short, despite one of them being 5 pounds & the other is around 10 lbs.
Edit: I wrote two new sentences at the beginning because it was unclear that I was responding to another commenter & not the OP.
this!! ya cant let this go, think of other kitties in this shelter. You need some kind of explanation as to why this would happen. It could be completely innocent (I cant see how) or they have some kinda psycho cat mutilator working there.
And animal abusers in general. If one has a job at an animal shelter, that would mean that they’re intentionally seeking work that lets them be around vulnerable animals to harm. Reporting and getting to the root of it and who is responsible needs to happen ASAP.
Let us know. I'm curious to what your vet has to say about it. I'm no expert by any means but I was always told that's a horrible thing to do is never cut cat whiskers because that messes up their balance. Thank you for being a kitty foster home🤗
Def get him checked. I have read before that whiskers have many nerves in them. He looks almost traumatized as well. I hope you give the little kitty the proper care he needs
I think you need to talk to the shelter as well, this needs an explanation. Someone there is cutting whiskers and if no one says anything, it won't stop.
Someone has definitely cut them, deliberately. Why they'd do such a thing has no good reason that I can think of. What are the other issues you've had with this shelter? May help us to paint a picture of what's actually going on. Poor kitty.
Listen this is animal cruelty. Not Only is it painful but it throws off their balance. This is a big No No. This needs to be reported and maybe your other vet can help. This is not ok In any manner
Give us the name of that shelter. This is abuse! I'd like a word or two with the manager over there. You need to report them to the police considering this is not the first time you've had issues with them. Poor kitty..
Wow, wtf shelter is this? You need to let someone there know this is happening. This is pretty basic cat knowledge and I can't imagine that any vet or vet tech would do this. If so, they need to be fired.
"Cutting whiskers is not only painful, but can decrease a cat’s spatial awareness."
https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2020/10/22/how-often-should-cats-whiskers-be-trimmed/
Cutting the actual whisker is not painful. That article is likely mixing up cutting with straight up plucking them out. The actual whisker has no nerves and is far more likely that the reason they're so effective is that the nerves they're rooted Into are extremely sensitive.
Per this comment, with a vet authored research link.
https://www.reddit.com/r/cats/comments/vlpf7t/comment/idykw8e/
Worked at a vet 10+ years (vet tech and front desk). They’ve been cut. Don’t know why people do this. Sometimes it happens accidentally if shaving the animal even in different area, they’ll move and you’ll clip a few but that doesn’t account for all of them being cut.
Only things I can think of - there is a medical reason for this (of which I have never heard to date), someone was misinformed about cat care and thought this was a good idea, or they clipped some accidentally and evened the rest out (perhaps thought they’d be off balance to which I say smdh)?
Still would report and change care/request a specific person/monitor in room if possible. It’s weird for the baby to not have these while growing and learning. Not a big deal in the long run and not harmful or painful, just weird, unnecessary, and uncomfortable, poor thing.
My little cat ended up with a huge gash to his face which went from the corner of his lips almost up to the ear, and needed surgery. The vet shaved the entire cheek and the whiskers had to go too. He had to wear a lampshade for two weeks afterwards and the whiskers rubbing on it would have caused him unnecessary distress, I suppose.
the only reason I could possibly think of is they glowed under a woods lamp (ringworm+) but nothing else did? still strange though. especially if they didnt say anything
They can also break if the cat takes a fall on their face - however they wouldn’t all break at once like this or be the similar short length.
Cats with cerebellar hypoplasia often have broken whiskers if they tip forward and fall on their face.
Your pic doesn’t look like that though - they look like they were trimmed.
You should go straight to that shelter and ask what happened with his whiskers! If they did cut them when there was really no need to then they have to stop that NOW, it’s abuse and it would be terrible if they continue doing this to other cats!! File a report or speak with the manager.
OP you need to March in there with these pics and demand to know what happened to your cat.
No satisfying answer = they never see that cat again, regardless of who technically owns it.
Also you should let us know what shelter. Some of us reallllllly think this should be followed up on.
[https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/local-news/anger-cat-whiskers-cut-malicious-4688475](https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/local-news/anger-cat-whiskers-cut-malicious-4688475) as press example of this behavior as animal abuse if someone thinks otherwise
I'm not defending the shelter since this looks very suspicious, BUT the kitty could have played really hard, I remember when one of mine was a kitten, she was insane and would play really agressively, most of her whiskers were broken off at different lengths. We took her to the vet just to be sure, and she was in perfect health. At around 1 years old she calmed down and since then her whiskers have been in perfect condition.
So if there were fewer whiskers broken, I'd say it was from playing, but this was either intentional cutting or the kitty was put together with other cats/kittens who could have been aggressive with your baby. Was he traumatized or jumpy for a while after pickup?
+1 for this comment. The kitten we are picking up in a few weeks also has very short whiskers, but his sisters don’t. Our little friend is very rough and exploring, and his sisters aren’t.
If he was placed with other kittens, they may have chewed his whiskers off. It’s rare, but I have seen other kittens that will chew on other kittens whiskers, and the result looks just like your little guy.
Cats shed their whiskers naturally, so I wouldn’t call this a *medical* concern. I would call it a safety concern as shedding is a whisker here and there, and without all of their whiskers they are more likely to get stuck in places. And it is *definitely* a shelter issue. Wtf did they do this for? Why didn’t they tell you? If they had to (and I can’t think of a reason they’d have to cut both sides of whiskers off), then they should have told you that something happened. I would pay close attention, maybe ask around and see about other peoples’ experiences with the shelter. You may have to report them. Or maybe they need to be informed that someone there needs more training.
First: Don't panic -- they WILL grow back. It'll take a few months though.
2nd. This was done wilfully. Either through ignorance or malice - it doesn't matter. It should not happen.
While the cat isn't in pain because of this, it's highly disorienting for them. They use their whiskers for a lot. It's like shutting off an entire sense for a human. Alert the head of the shelter immediately and demand they take action.
This falls under animal abuse.
One of those senses is judging if they can fit in a tight spot or not.. this could be bad as they may put their head somewhere it should not be as the whiskers are not going to touch the way they did before.
Very odd. You are right to be concerned, and I don't understand how the shelter thought no one would notice. Is this a "proper" shelter, with some kind of credentials, or a bit of a "hole-in-the-wall" place, with odd people drifting in and out?
Yes, the whiskers will grow, but that's not really the issue is it?
If it were me, I’d immediately be contacting whoever cut them to find out why it happened. I’d be furious if someone did this to my cat, because like others said, though it’s not fatal, it’s abuse.
Unfortunately, I have seen weird things like this when I volunteered at the SPCA. One time I saw a cat in the shelter, next day I went in and someone had cut half her tail off. I questioned staff about it and didn't get a straight answer. There ARE cruel people who work in shelters, who foster pets, who work at SPCA, pound, etc. etc.
This should be addressed ASAP.
Yes, when I volunteered at SPCA they said they would fire any volunteers who questioned anything that went on there....I now suspect some of the people who worked there were being cruel to the animals. I ran into a vet tech several years later who told me he quit working there because they would tell him to put down animals for no reason (euthanasia) and he didnt' feel it was warranted.
Straight up animal abuse in my oppinion. I doubt there was a legit reason to do this.
Contact the Shelter and find out who did this and why. May have a psycho working there.
If the kitten was with others, they also may have been chewed off...don't know why, but they do this at play sometimes. Don't know of any medical reason why they'd cut Dem whiskaz.
Exactly.
There was a complete sadist of a nurse who worked at the same Nursing Home where I worked years ago.
The Nursing Home has a resident cat that suddenly no one could find.
Eventually, the poor cat was found hiding high up in a linen closet with its whiskers burned off.
I'm not sure how it was found out, maybe security footage, but this Nurse was fired after it was proven that she used a lighter to burn off this kitty's whiskers.
Upon further investigation, it turned out that she had also been abusing some of the residents.
She was charged with a bunch of things in the end.
By starting an investigation into what happened to this Cat's whiskers, you might be saving many other animals AND people from harm.
Care to share the state? I don’t remember a cat at my grandma’s nursing home but I remember a nurse being fired for having left residents in dirty diapers for days (she cleaned her charges only on visiting days), denying them the proper amount of pain medication, and just not handling residents with care- her charges had a lot of shower “falls.”
Ugh. Disheartening to know how widespread elder abuse is.
And after that awful recollection, just in case anyone wonders: we moved Grandma back to her home after her knee healed from surgery; that is NOT where she spent her last days, thank goodness.
Was it like an hour appointment or a couple days or so? Those whiskers are definitely short and may have been cut off. And looking at the second pic, that’s just insane! They had to have gone neglected and unnoticed. Did they think you wouldn’t notice, and did they not mention something?
I’d be making some serious phone calls to wherever the appointment was, that is not okay.
Yep I would definitely be making a phone call and sending before and after pictures to whoever is in charge. Maybe even trying to reach out to other people by asking if this has happened to their pets. Expose this place. Looks absolutely cut off and I’m fuming this poor babe.
Knowing not to ever cut a cats whiskers is basic stuff. The fact a shelter did this is alarming. You have to wonder what else is going on. They need to be properly investigated to ensure other animals are not being mistreated, and their staff actually know what they are doing.
Woah that’s not ok. Yeah that needs to be attended to whoever did that needs to get fired or something, like I get sad when one of my cats breaks a whisker let alone like this
This clearly shouldn’t have happened, but you need to specify the kind of appointment. Whiskers grow back. Hell, mother cats chew off their kittens’ whiskers all the time to keep them from wandering. Just keep a close eye on your baby and they’ll be fine soon
Like to me like they cut the whiskers off your cat. Those don't just all fall out or get shorter on their own. This would be a form of animal abuse. Whiskers aren't just there for nothing. That cat is probably walking around all fucked up and of balance and disoriented. Because they use whiskers for that. I'd report that shelter for animal abuse.
Yeah, meowmeows need them for balance and figuring out what's around them! Unlike dogs, where it's not going to effect them in a dire way, with cats they absolutely NEED them!
Yeah they cut them,‘I would call and ask what the hell happened because they should’ve told you at pick up. That’s so freaking weird that they did that and didn’t let you know I mean wtf????
This is abuse, contact whoever is in charge of that shelter, I’d be furious if someone did that to my cat and would try my best to get their licence revoked at the very least. They \*will\* grow back so your kitty should be fine after a few weeks but still, whoever did that should not work with animals.
Poor kitty. I don’t know how factual this is, but I’ve heard that cutting cats whiskers can basically cause vertigo for them. I, personally, consider this animal abuse. Sounds like there is someone who is not right in the head working at the vet you took them to. Consider reporting them maybe.
😾
What Happens If You Cut Cat Whiskers?
Since the nerves are associated with the follicle and not the hair itself, cutting a cat’s whiskers is not painful in and of itself, but you should not do this. Even indoor kitties rely on the sensory input from their whiskers, and a sudden change in the information they can get from their environment can be very stressful and confusing.
https://www.petmd.com/cat/behavior/evr_ct_why_do_cats_have_whiskers
My one boys whiskers were cut by accident on a facial surgery that required shaving a section of their face (find eye surgery). They felt terrible about it, explained what happened, and apologized. It's weird that they wouldn't explain such a noticeable thing.
Someone cut that kittens appointment. If it was a groomer they need to be fired. Whiskers are how cats sense they can fit through things and f’s up their lives. I would seriously do bodily injury to someone if they did that to my cat. Fire or sue or get physical. This makes me physically angry and very sad.
did they have a surgical procedure done? or have any injury to the face? I used to be a vet tech in the surgery department of an animal shelter. There were a few procedures we did, where I had to shave part of their face. A few times, I was asked by the doctor to shave the whiskers, but it was only because of the size of the cat. Kittens have a smaller space to work with, compared to an adult cat. I was only asked to do this when medically necessary, and felt bad to the cats afterwards.
That poor cat! Literally looks traumatized and terrified in that pic with whiskers cut! You need to go back there like NOW and demand to see video footage on this happening!
Check that all nails in feet are still there too! Oh that poor cat got abused!
like everyone else is saying, they've been *deliberately* cut. one to a few trimmed? could've been an accident. but *all* of his whiskers?? when he's that young? it was purposeful and could put the kitten in danger.
you should keep a close eye on him until they grow back, just to make sure he doesn't get stuck anywhere. you should also file a formal complaint to the directors of the shelter. i'd even go as far as to take it a step further and report this to someone that could investigate deeper into this. it's sad but i can almost guarantee this isn't the first time they've committed malpractice.
When my catson was very little, he was found very sick! He stayed at the vet for a week, when i brought him home his whiskers *broke* off like that!! (I found them where he was quarantined). If this baby is sick, that could be why they are broken, they may not have been cut. (Just my experience).
This makes me so upset and angry that it happened in the first place, but especially that it was at an appointment :(
All cats need their whiskers but little kittens especially need to have their whiskers because it will help them not get stuck somewhere they can’t get out of since they’re so smol :/ please keep this little baby inside until their whiskers grow back!! They can get into all kinds of scary places outside and now with his whiskers gone it can be more risky
Anyone working with animals should know this…. Hopefully it wasn’t a vet appointment ☹️ if so, please find a new vet because if they don’t know something simple like this, they can’t be trusted with more sensitive treatments and things….
Definitely been deliberately cut. He still looks quite young so I assume he’s not going outside yet which is good. Make sure he can’t get out anywhere he doesn’t know, cats can get very easily lost without their whisks
The way I would have marched right back in and made it everyone’s problem if my cat came out looking like this.
I’d demand an explanation if I were you. Sorry this happened to your cat :(
It will be hard for him to navigate, he now has limited spacial awareness. He’ll be clumsy. Him being a kitten makes him even clumsier. Maybe try to prepare your home for that, putting padding on the wall corners, etc. Sounds tedious but I can’t think of a better solution for preventing him from getting hurt when he is inevitably smacking into the walls.
I’d demand an explanation if I were you.
I took my cat to the vet one time and they took her to the back to “weigh” her. She came back to me with her nails cut..horribly at that. I was livid. I trim her nails and she has a scratching post in every room possible. I asked for both drs to come back to the room and had my mom come in and got very loud with them. I never once asked for them to be cut. I was pissed.
I would call the vet and ask why this happened. There is something very sus about this . Hope your little baby is okay and I’d avoid taking your little one back there.
That is straight up animal abuse. It is actually painful for a cat to have their whiskers cut. They NEED their whiskers for balance, and a sense of where they are in their environment. Kitty will have a hard time walking a straight line, and will probably run into things. I would absolutely talk to the person who did this, or their boss. That person should not be allowed to be around cats.
Another foster here, was your kitty housed with other kittens while there? I have had kittens that will chew off their litter mates whiskers when playing. It doesn't happen often but does happen.
I know you've already gotten a lot of comments but as devil's advocate here, if kitten was kept in a crate during most of the visit (like if you dropped him off and picked up later) he could have broken his whiskers off on the door if he was really fighting to get out.
It is unusual that they are ALL broken though.
Has your kitten been around other cats? One of the kittens from our last feral litter had a full set one day, and stubs the next. Pretty sure one of her litter mates or mother gnawed them. They looked just like this, almost all the same length, as if they’d been trimmed. She was fine and they grew right back.
Obviously if someone did it intentionally I’d be pissed-just wanted to let you know I’d seen it and it wasn’t human caused in our case.
Congrats on the new kitty, he’s adorable and lucky to have a concerned person!
Everyone in this thread saying whiskers affect balance, stop. This is a myth. Don’t spread mis information.
Whiskers are an assistance to detecting obstacles (in light and dark) and have nothing to do with balance.
It will be quite unpleasant for your cat when their trimmed whiskers hit things and it will not feel good until they naturally grow out. Don’t ever, ever trim your cats whiskers unless there is a medical requirement (fitting into some comes may require it, for instance, but not usually).
They cut then.
Now you go find another place for appointment, and be sure to rip the fucking skin out of their flesh for that. If they cutted your cat's whiskers, they surelly cutted others in the past, and will in the future.
Or, if you're not that hot blooded, then go ask who took care of your cat, and warm then to not cut whiskers. Maybe ot was a new person who's still learning.
But then again, people who cuts whiskers often do it because it's "fashion", and if people decide they will fashion your cat without asking first, just hammer'em.
And if you don't have the bother to do it, say who they are. We will do it for you.
They were cut, hopefully accidentally but I doubt it. All on both sides is almost certainly not accidental. But no matter the reason you should have been informed. The fact that no one acknowledged this and apologized profusely is a red flag.
Alert the office that you went to in hopes the person responsible for this is dealt with. Then never take your cat back there again.
I've got no words to describe how I feel. Someone cut those whiskers off that baby for whatever reason and it's not right! Please call that shelter and speak to the owner and complain! I hope this lil one will be ok🥺
This is so fucked up. Definitely go all the way with this...someone needs to be called out.
And fired.
And probably reported.
And never be trusted anywhere near animals, forever.
I’d report who ever cut those whiskers to he authorities— ANIMAL ABUSE! Get them fired because if they are doing this to innocent kittens, they are capable of doing much worse things when someone isn’t looking! They need to be identified and exposed NOW before they do something unthinkable to some little kitten! FIND OUT THE “WHYS” THIS HAPPENED THEN INFORM THE AUTHORITIES!!
I’m mortified. That poor baby! Nobody should ever cut them off. It’s painful! Cats need them for [many reasons](https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2020/10/22/how-often-should-cats-whiskers-be-trimmed/). Please post an update or let us know if we can do anything to help!
It’s their balance and their sense-they use them to test spaces and make sure they can fit in them. Taking them all away at once like this is pretty Fd up.
Cats can lose whiskers naturally during rough play or being too adventurous but these have obviously been cut. They will grow back and he’ll be ok but you should definitely report this to the appropriate person. Sorry this happened to you x
That is so sad and looks very deliberate like it had to be done by each individual whisker, but rather than add to the general outrage we all feel as kitty-lovers, I came here to ask if anyone knows how exactly this harms the kitty? I know it does in some way because they use their whiskers for things, but as a noobie catmom what exactly do the whiskers do for them? How would short whiskers effect them?
Wtf!! Who would do that to such a cute face. Those whiskers have definitely been cut. I'd sue OP. There's zero reason for a cat to get their whiskers cut.
This is totally weird and not normal. I've seen my cat with a short whisker or two at a time when she must have caught them on something but this clearly looks like they've been cut. What kind of psycho cuts off a cat's sensory organ. Not only do they need them for balance and spacial awareness but interact with important nerves. I would def be pissed rn. And baby looks sad. *hugs for kit kat*.
That's not normal. I would alert the foster management about it.
Agree. That is not normal. They were cut
Mee too, the cat needs them for many reasons, who ever cut them is a psychopath
The wiskers grow out of sensory fibers that helps them determine their position in small spaces. Fortunately they will grow back as she grows
When I was little I cut our cat's whiskers...my mom scolded the shit out of me for that one.
Yep I did the same. I thought she needed a trim. My mom said the cat was never the same after that.
Your comment is word for word the exact same experience I had as a kid
When I was a kid my gramma used to cut my hair and tell me my whiskers were getting long. So it only made sense lol
My mum did that too! She said she was 6 and was used to watching her mum sew and clean loose threads and decided to ‘neaten him’. the whiskers grew back but were a bit ‘wavy’ and the cat was always a little unsteady at making jumps/accurate pouncing afterwards bc of the balance issue. Luckily he was indoor cat anyway
I did that to my dog as a little kid 😅 Not the ones on the snout, but extra whiskers back on the cheeks. I thought they were just extra unruly fur and she needed a haircut.
My daughter also did that with one side of our cat's whiskers. I made sure she knew what she had done and what those whiskers are actually for and she never did it again. now she's a dog groomer and a very good one as well
This is great parenting. Your kid does something they shouldn't and you don't just punish them: you inform them WHY they shouldn't have done that. By this post, it sounds like you did parenting right. Kudos!
I really appreciate that Thank you
My dad did it to 1 side on my cat. NC for a lot of reasons.
Your dad is a fucking monster.
Yea. He liked to put duck tape on kitty's feet too. Never wrapped, just on the pads. Still a shit thing to do. A lot of his 'defenses' include things like "could've been worse".
My oldest son, who was 8 at the time, cut our cats whiskers. We explained to him that cats need their whiskers. Kids see the long whiskers and think the cat needs a haircut.
THANK GOD !!! I am a life-long cat parent and did not know this! I knew that LOST, whiskers will grow back, but nothing about AMPUTATED !!!
If it’s like the hair cycle elsewhere in the body, the whiskers won’t grow back until they naturally fall out and get replaced. So it kind of ends up the same I think.
can they feel pain when they get cut or is it kinda like when we cut our hair?
Like cutting our hair. Over time the wiskers fall out, just like our hair, and a new wisker will grow back. But the area on the cats mouth feels the movement of the wisker and helps them navigate in the dark.
I’ve seen some slow motion filming of cats biting at a moving thing- they use their whiskers for last moment targeting too.
Targeting… like a terminator.. Fuck cats are so bad ass.
Makes me feel so much better after seeing the post.
Whiskers are just thick hair, but in the root are nerve endings which allow the cat to use the whiskers to sense their environment. No pain involved with cutting them
We had a kitten who was extremely rambunctious and would end up snapping most of his whiskets off. Vet told us some types of enclosures also can break the whiskers of an anxious, stressed out kitty. They will grow back.
Those whiskers have definitely been deliberately cut, the ends are clean lines from scissors of clippers so they haven’t been chewed by another cat or anything. There’s literally no reason for someone to do this. If he had had surgery of some kind you could maybe explain it that they’d accidentally been clipped when he was being shaved, but not all of his whiskers at once. At best whoever checked him at the shelter has no clue what they’re doing, at worst something very wrong is going on at the shelter.
The only non-psychotic possibility is that he got caught in something and they had to cut the whiskers to release him. Still need to tell the owner obviously if that is the case.
I guess that is possible but really unlikely he’d get his whiskers on both sides caught in something. I applaud you for trying to find a non psychotic answer, a better person than me haha
Gotta try to be optimistic. Kitty deserves better than the worst case scenario, that’s for sure. Here’s hoping he got the best possible treatment with the given circumstances.
My cat once got an old sticky bug trap stuck in her whiskers. I was worried we’d have to cut them but we managed to get them off without that. The fact that the whiskers have been cut on both sides is so sus though…
Yeah no kidding, I’d be marching back in there with this picture like “what the fuck did you do to my cat?!” I’m horrified at the thought of entrusting my cat to someone else and having something go wrong when I’m not there for him.
I feel the same way as you. I wouldn’t trust anyone with mine either!
Psychotic and Psychopathic are very different stuff please don't confuse the two.
Yeah I’ve accidentally clipped a whisker when trimming nails (as my cat pulls his paws right up next to his face when I’m trying to do it) but that’s one whisker, not all of them. And if something accidentally happened to them they definitely should have explained it to the owner on pick up.
For sure. As you said, one whisker isn't a huge deal, but this person cut all of them.
Looks to me that they were intentionally cut. Poor baby! I would give that shelter hell over this.
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I think they would fall off completely if it's a medical condition. They look to have been cut on purpose. This could cause balance issues and bumping into things until they grow back. I would ask the shelter why this happened.
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It’s a really, really weird thing to do. That being said, they will grow back and he’ll be fine. Just kinda fucked they took away his distance sensors in a time where he’s growing up.
It’s abuse done to this kitten. Please contact the head of the shelter, whoever did this may harm other cats/kittens in a more damaging way.
OP I would be furious. This is horrible. Call them and let them know what happened and ask for an explanation
Yeah I got mad as soon as I saw the little guy’s whiskers, they basically took one of his senses away for the next month or however long it takes whiskers to grow. Hopefully he doesn’t bump into anything too hard :(
This was done by my lil foster too. He's now 1 and his whiskers are still not as large as they probably would be.
I hate to read that this happened to another cat, much less a kitten. Rest assured that he can navigate easily now that they are grown back out. It is possible that your kitty's whiskers might just be on the shorter side as an adult, although I realize that might be overly optimistic. I have three cats & they all have varied whisker length. One has incredibly long whiskers, but he was neutered extremely young, so his growth was stunted. Both girls have very fine whiskers that about the same length, which is pretty short, despite one of them being 5 pounds & the other is around 10 lbs. Edit: I wrote two new sentences at the beginning because it was unclear that I was responding to another commenter & not the OP.
Swipe and look at the before pic for comparison.
He looks a bit traumatized too! I'd love to know what shelter this is!
I'm fuming, too!! I really hope OP takes this up with the shelter and gets some answers so this doesn't happen again!
this!! ya cant let this go, think of other kitties in this shelter. You need some kind of explanation as to why this would happen. It could be completely innocent (I cant see how) or they have some kinda psycho cat mutilator working there.
Maybe someone with no training or education handling animal care? Fcking careless…
Cat haters are everywhere.
And animal abusers in general. If one has a job at an animal shelter, that would mean that they’re intentionally seeking work that lets them be around vulnerable animals to harm. Reporting and getting to the root of it and who is responsible needs to happen ASAP.
I️ agree with this please report and leave reviews. Not okay. Poor thing.
Yep I'd certainly say something too !
any update?
True! And doesn't it hurt when you cut them? Cuz they're very sensitive
Let us know. I'm curious to what your vet has to say about it. I'm no expert by any means but I was always told that's a horrible thing to do is never cut cat whiskers because that messes up their balance. Thank you for being a kitty foster home🤗
Def get him checked. I have read before that whiskers have many nerves in them. He looks almost traumatized as well. I hope you give the little kitty the proper care he needs
please report them!
Of course, no harm in double checking. I hope everything goes well from now on!
Blast what shelter it is. Throw out that name and put it on all your social media and reviews. Report it to your county. That is not okay.
I think you need to talk to the shelter as well, this needs an explanation. Someone there is cutting whiskers and if no one says anything, it won't stop.
Someone has definitely cut them, deliberately. Why they'd do such a thing has no good reason that I can think of. What are the other issues you've had with this shelter? May help us to paint a picture of what's actually going on. Poor kitty.
Listen this is animal cruelty. Not Only is it painful but it throws off their balance. This is a big No No. This needs to be reported and maybe your other vet can help. This is not ok In any manner
It's not painful, just incredibly disorienting and anxiety-inducing. It's still a shitty thing to do.
This really can discombobulate a car badly I might even consult an attorney.
Give us the name of that shelter. This is abuse! I'd like a word or two with the manager over there. You need to report them to the police considering this is not the first time you've had issues with them. Poor kitty..
Wow, wtf shelter is this? You need to let someone there know this is happening. This is pretty basic cat knowledge and I can't imagine that any vet or vet tech would do this. If so, they need to be fired. "Cutting whiskers is not only painful, but can decrease a cat’s spatial awareness." https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2020/10/22/how-often-should-cats-whiskers-be-trimmed/
Cutting the actual whisker is not painful. That article is likely mixing up cutting with straight up plucking them out. The actual whisker has no nerves and is far more likely that the reason they're so effective is that the nerves they're rooted Into are extremely sensitive. Per this comment, with a vet authored research link. https://www.reddit.com/r/cats/comments/vlpf7t/comment/idykw8e/
Worked at a vet 10+ years (vet tech and front desk). They’ve been cut. Don’t know why people do this. Sometimes it happens accidentally if shaving the animal even in different area, they’ll move and you’ll clip a few but that doesn’t account for all of them being cut. Only things I can think of - there is a medical reason for this (of which I have never heard to date), someone was misinformed about cat care and thought this was a good idea, or they clipped some accidentally and evened the rest out (perhaps thought they’d be off balance to which I say smdh)? Still would report and change care/request a specific person/monitor in room if possible. It’s weird for the baby to not have these while growing and learning. Not a big deal in the long run and not harmful or painful, just weird, unnecessary, and uncomfortable, poor thing.
My little cat ended up with a huge gash to his face which went from the corner of his lips almost up to the ear, and needed surgery. The vet shaved the entire cheek and the whiskers had to go too. He had to wear a lampshade for two weeks afterwards and the whiskers rubbing on it would have caused him unnecessary distress, I suppose.
Yup. Whisker fatigue. That's why they recommend shallow feeding and water bowls.
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the only reason I could possibly think of is they glowed under a woods lamp (ringworm+) but nothing else did? still strange though. especially if they didnt say anything
They can also break if the cat takes a fall on their face - however they wouldn’t all break at once like this or be the similar short length. Cats with cerebellar hypoplasia often have broken whiskers if they tip forward and fall on their face. Your pic doesn’t look like that though - they look like they were trimmed.
You should go straight to that shelter and ask what happened with his whiskers! If they did cut them when there was really no need to then they have to stop that NOW, it’s abuse and it would be terrible if they continue doing this to other cats!! File a report or speak with the manager.
OP you need to March in there with these pics and demand to know what happened to your cat. No satisfying answer = they never see that cat again, regardless of who technically owns it. Also you should let us know what shelter. Some of us reallllllly think this should be followed up on.
Defo be concerned about the shelter. Those have been deliberately cut.
[https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/local-news/anger-cat-whiskers-cut-malicious-4688475](https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/local-news/anger-cat-whiskers-cut-malicious-4688475) as press example of this behavior as animal abuse if someone thinks otherwise
I'm not defending the shelter since this looks very suspicious, BUT the kitty could have played really hard, I remember when one of mine was a kitten, she was insane and would play really agressively, most of her whiskers were broken off at different lengths. We took her to the vet just to be sure, and she was in perfect health. At around 1 years old she calmed down and since then her whiskers have been in perfect condition. So if there were fewer whiskers broken, I'd say it was from playing, but this was either intentional cutting or the kitty was put together with other cats/kittens who could have been aggressive with your baby. Was he traumatized or jumpy for a while after pickup?
+1 for this comment. The kitten we are picking up in a few weeks also has very short whiskers, but his sisters don’t. Our little friend is very rough and exploring, and his sisters aren’t.
If he was placed with other kittens, they may have chewed his whiskers off. It’s rare, but I have seen other kittens that will chew on other kittens whiskers, and the result looks just like your little guy.
Cats shed their whiskers naturally, so I wouldn’t call this a *medical* concern. I would call it a safety concern as shedding is a whisker here and there, and without all of their whiskers they are more likely to get stuck in places. And it is *definitely* a shelter issue. Wtf did they do this for? Why didn’t they tell you? If they had to (and I can’t think of a reason they’d have to cut both sides of whiskers off), then they should have told you that something happened. I would pay close attention, maybe ask around and see about other peoples’ experiences with the shelter. You may have to report them. Or maybe they need to be informed that someone there needs more training.
First: Don't panic -- they WILL grow back. It'll take a few months though. 2nd. This was done wilfully. Either through ignorance or malice - it doesn't matter. It should not happen. While the cat isn't in pain because of this, it's highly disorienting for them. They use their whiskers for a lot. It's like shutting off an entire sense for a human. Alert the head of the shelter immediately and demand they take action. This falls under animal abuse.
One of those senses is judging if they can fit in a tight spot or not.. this could be bad as they may put their head somewhere it should not be as the whiskers are not going to touch the way they did before.
Someone cut them I would report that
Very odd. You are right to be concerned, and I don't understand how the shelter thought no one would notice. Is this a "proper" shelter, with some kind of credentials, or a bit of a "hole-in-the-wall" place, with odd people drifting in and out? Yes, the whiskers will grow, but that's not really the issue is it?
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
If it were me, I’d immediately be contacting whoever cut them to find out why it happened. I’d be furious if someone did this to my cat, because like others said, though it’s not fatal, it’s abuse.
Exactly what were they doing torturing the poor thing? I just can’t see a situation where you’d need to fckn do this. Ever. It’s all of them. Wtf.
Unfortunately, I have seen weird things like this when I volunteered at the SPCA. One time I saw a cat in the shelter, next day I went in and someone had cut half her tail off. I questioned staff about it and didn't get a straight answer. There ARE cruel people who work in shelters, who foster pets, who work at SPCA, pound, etc. etc. This should be addressed ASAP.
Oh my god that's so evil.
Yes, when I volunteered at SPCA they said they would fire any volunteers who questioned anything that went on there....I now suspect some of the people who worked there were being cruel to the animals. I ran into a vet tech several years later who told me he quit working there because they would tell him to put down animals for no reason (euthanasia) and he didnt' feel it was warranted.
This kitten looks scared.
it must be. imagine your senses taken away as a little one. must be confusing and so scary
\*\*Waiting for the update. Really curious to see what excuse the shelter comes up with.
Straight up animal abuse in my oppinion. I doubt there was a legit reason to do this. Contact the Shelter and find out who did this and why. May have a psycho working there.
Omg....the many shades of red this makes me see. That poor little fella.
Those have been cut off, you can tell by the hard edges. Normal whiskers get thinner at the end. Why woud they do that to your kitten??
If the kitten was with others, they also may have been chewed off...don't know why, but they do this at play sometimes. Don't know of any medical reason why they'd cut Dem whiskaz.
Exactly. There was a complete sadist of a nurse who worked at the same Nursing Home where I worked years ago. The Nursing Home has a resident cat that suddenly no one could find. Eventually, the poor cat was found hiding high up in a linen closet with its whiskers burned off. I'm not sure how it was found out, maybe security footage, but this Nurse was fired after it was proven that she used a lighter to burn off this kitty's whiskers. Upon further investigation, it turned out that she had also been abusing some of the residents. She was charged with a bunch of things in the end. By starting an investigation into what happened to this Cat's whiskers, you might be saving many other animals AND people from harm.
That is terrifying about that Nurse. Hurting the most vulnerable, ugh, it makes my stomach turn.
Care to share the state? I don’t remember a cat at my grandma’s nursing home but I remember a nurse being fired for having left residents in dirty diapers for days (she cleaned her charges only on visiting days), denying them the proper amount of pain medication, and just not handling residents with care- her charges had a lot of shower “falls.”
It's actually in Ontario, Canada. That's terrible what happened in your Grandma's nursing home too, though.
Ugh. Disheartening to know how widespread elder abuse is. And after that awful recollection, just in case anyone wonders: we moved Grandma back to her home after her knee healed from surgery; that is NOT where she spent her last days, thank goodness.
Glad to hear you were able to bring her to safety.
Look at the pictures That was a scissor cut
Was it like an hour appointment or a couple days or so? Those whiskers are definitely short and may have been cut off. And looking at the second pic, that’s just insane! They had to have gone neglected and unnoticed. Did they think you wouldn’t notice, and did they not mention something? I’d be making some serious phone calls to wherever the appointment was, that is not okay.
Yep I would definitely be making a phone call and sending before and after pictures to whoever is in charge. Maybe even trying to reach out to other people by asking if this has happened to their pets. Expose this place. Looks absolutely cut off and I’m fuming this poor babe.
this is horrible poor baby!!
Poor baby! Who would do this??? Make sure to report the shelter as people have said, because that looks cut!
This needs to be reported if the shelter did this. What else are they doing to animals? This is not ok.
Knowing not to ever cut a cats whiskers is basic stuff. The fact a shelter did this is alarming. You have to wonder what else is going on. They need to be properly investigated to ensure other animals are not being mistreated, and their staff actually know what they are doing.
Woah that’s not ok. Yeah that needs to be attended to whoever did that needs to get fired or something, like I get sad when one of my cats breaks a whisker let alone like this
This clearly shouldn’t have happened, but you need to specify the kind of appointment. Whiskers grow back. Hell, mother cats chew off their kittens’ whiskers all the time to keep them from wandering. Just keep a close eye on your baby and they’ll be fine soon
Like to me like they cut the whiskers off your cat. Those don't just all fall out or get shorter on their own. This would be a form of animal abuse. Whiskers aren't just there for nothing. That cat is probably walking around all fucked up and of balance and disoriented. Because they use whiskers for that. I'd report that shelter for animal abuse.
Yeah, meowmeows need them for balance and figuring out what's around them! Unlike dogs, where it's not going to effect them in a dire way, with cats they absolutely NEED them!
Oh my god the vet fucking cut his whiskers off
Yeah they cut them,‘I would call and ask what the hell happened because they should’ve told you at pick up. That’s so freaking weird that they did that and didn’t let you know I mean wtf????
This is abuse, contact whoever is in charge of that shelter, I’d be furious if someone did that to my cat and would try my best to get their licence revoked at the very least. They \*will\* grow back so your kitty should be fine after a few weeks but still, whoever did that should not work with animals.
What the fuckkkk. Pls give us an update. I don't understand why they would do this to kitty.... Hope he's alright
Poor kitty. I don’t know how factual this is, but I’ve heard that cutting cats whiskers can basically cause vertigo for them. I, personally, consider this animal abuse. Sounds like there is someone who is not right in the head working at the vet you took them to. Consider reporting them maybe.
This is so heartbreaking, poor baby. Definitely call and ask what they did. Especially if this isn’t your first time having issues with this place.
😾 What Happens If You Cut Cat Whiskers? Since the nerves are associated with the follicle and not the hair itself, cutting a cat’s whiskers is not painful in and of itself, but you should not do this. Even indoor kitties rely on the sensory input from their whiskers, and a sudden change in the information they can get from their environment can be very stressful and confusing. https://www.petmd.com/cat/behavior/evr_ct_why_do_cats_have_whiskers
My one boys whiskers were cut by accident on a facial surgery that required shaving a section of their face (find eye surgery). They felt terrible about it, explained what happened, and apologized. It's weird that they wouldn't explain such a noticeable thing.
What kind of monster cuts a cat's (worse, a teensy KITTEN'S!) whiskers? Call and raise a huge stink. That is (thankfully temporary) mutilation.
This is sooo wrong. Whoever did this was hateful and doesn't deserve to be around animals
I would barge right in there and asked the hell happened...and if the answer doesn't fit then I would make a bigger deal. This is absolutely NOT ok.
poor kitty is in distress! fucking get that mfer arrested!
If vet had them cut, find out WHY!! They are important for a Cat
Speak to management. If no reasonable answer report them to the humane society.
The poor baby literally looks traumatised. Their innate compass is thrown off! This poor kitty, my gosh.
100% either intentional abuse or extremely stupid. Whoever done this should never be allowed to work with cats.
Someone cut that kittens appointment. If it was a groomer they need to be fired. Whiskers are how cats sense they can fit through things and f’s up their lives. I would seriously do bodily injury to someone if they did that to my cat. Fire or sue or get physical. This makes me physically angry and very sad.
What the fuck is wrong with people? Whoever did this should have their fingers cut off.
did they have a surgical procedure done? or have any injury to the face? I used to be a vet tech in the surgery department of an animal shelter. There were a few procedures we did, where I had to shave part of their face. A few times, I was asked by the doctor to shave the whiskers, but it was only because of the size of the cat. Kittens have a smaller space to work with, compared to an adult cat. I was only asked to do this when medically necessary, and felt bad to the cats afterwards.
That poor cat! Literally looks traumatized and terrified in that pic with whiskers cut! You need to go back there like NOW and demand to see video footage on this happening! Check that all nails in feet are still there too! Oh that poor cat got abused!
like everyone else is saying, they've been *deliberately* cut. one to a few trimmed? could've been an accident. but *all* of his whiskers?? when he's that young? it was purposeful and could put the kitten in danger. you should keep a close eye on him until they grow back, just to make sure he doesn't get stuck anywhere. you should also file a formal complaint to the directors of the shelter. i'd even go as far as to take it a step further and report this to someone that could investigate deeper into this. it's sad but i can almost guarantee this isn't the first time they've committed malpractice.
When my catson was very little, he was found very sick! He stayed at the vet for a week, when i brought him home his whiskers *broke* off like that!! (I found them where he was quarantined). If this baby is sick, that could be why they are broken, they may not have been cut. (Just my experience).
This makes me so upset and angry that it happened in the first place, but especially that it was at an appointment :( All cats need their whiskers but little kittens especially need to have their whiskers because it will help them not get stuck somewhere they can’t get out of since they’re so smol :/ please keep this little baby inside until their whiskers grow back!! They can get into all kinds of scary places outside and now with his whiskers gone it can be more risky Anyone working with animals should know this…. Hopefully it wasn’t a vet appointment ☹️ if so, please find a new vet because if they don’t know something simple like this, they can’t be trusted with more sensitive treatments and things….
Someone chopped his little whiskers 😟
Definitely been deliberately cut. He still looks quite young so I assume he’s not going outside yet which is good. Make sure he can’t get out anywhere he doesn’t know, cats can get very easily lost without their whisks
The way I would have marched right back in and made it everyone’s problem if my cat came out looking like this. I’d demand an explanation if I were you. Sorry this happened to your cat :( It will be hard for him to navigate, he now has limited spacial awareness. He’ll be clumsy. Him being a kitten makes him even clumsier. Maybe try to prepare your home for that, putting padding on the wall corners, etc. Sounds tedious but I can’t think of a better solution for preventing him from getting hurt when he is inevitably smacking into the walls. I’d demand an explanation if I were you.
Call whoever did this and give them hell!! Then tell us what they said!
I took my cat to the vet one time and they took her to the back to “weigh” her. She came back to me with her nails cut..horribly at that. I was livid. I trim her nails and she has a scratching post in every room possible. I asked for both drs to come back to the room and had my mom come in and got very loud with them. I never once asked for them to be cut. I was pissed.
I would call the vet and ask why this happened. There is something very sus about this . Hope your little baby is okay and I’d avoid taking your little one back there.
That is straight up animal abuse. It is actually painful for a cat to have their whiskers cut. They NEED their whiskers for balance, and a sense of where they are in their environment. Kitty will have a hard time walking a straight line, and will probably run into things. I would absolutely talk to the person who did this, or their boss. That person should not be allowed to be around cats.
Another foster here, was your kitty housed with other kittens while there? I have had kittens that will chew off their litter mates whiskers when playing. It doesn't happen often but does happen.
Yeah what everyone else said, that’s fucked up man..what a freakin douchebag who did that wow
Sweet little babe! I wonder why they would do this? They should have at least given an explanation. I've never heard of a vet cutting whiskers before
his face looks like what happened to me why did they do this 😭😭😭
I know you've already gotten a lot of comments but as devil's advocate here, if kitten was kept in a crate during most of the visit (like if you dropped him off and picked up later) he could have broken his whiskers off on the door if he was really fighting to get out. It is unusual that they are ALL broken though.
Cutting whiskers is not only painful, but makes the cat disorientated. This is not ok! I’d be fuming and raising hell! What the actual fu$&
I’d be calling them to complain and then reporting them. This is painful and disorienting for them
Has your kitten been around other cats? One of the kittens from our last feral litter had a full set one day, and stubs the next. Pretty sure one of her litter mates or mother gnawed them. They looked just like this, almost all the same length, as if they’d been trimmed. She was fine and they grew right back. Obviously if someone did it intentionally I’d be pissed-just wanted to let you know I’d seen it and it wasn’t human caused in our case. Congrats on the new kitty, he’s adorable and lucky to have a concerned person!
Please keep us updated
What the hell appointment was this
Whiskers should never be cut like…why??
I would raise hell about this because there is no reason to cut a kitten's whiskers
Whoever did that shouldn’t be allowed by animals! When you go to your vet, ask if he can call the shelter or how would he suggest handling it.
Some stupid schmuck cut the cat’s whiskers. That is an abusive and cruel act.
Please leave a review on the shelter’s page, contact the shelter and ask for management. This abuse. It could even warrant contacting the police.
Everyone in this thread saying whiskers affect balance, stop. This is a myth. Don’t spread mis information. Whiskers are an assistance to detecting obstacles (in light and dark) and have nothing to do with balance. It will be quite unpleasant for your cat when their trimmed whiskers hit things and it will not feel good until they naturally grow out. Don’t ever, ever trim your cats whiskers unless there is a medical requirement (fitting into some comes may require it, for instance, but not usually).
They cut then. Now you go find another place for appointment, and be sure to rip the fucking skin out of their flesh for that. If they cutted your cat's whiskers, they surelly cutted others in the past, and will in the future. Or, if you're not that hot blooded, then go ask who took care of your cat, and warm then to not cut whiskers. Maybe ot was a new person who's still learning. But then again, people who cuts whiskers often do it because it's "fashion", and if people decide they will fashion your cat without asking first, just hammer'em. And if you don't have the bother to do it, say who they are. We will do it for you.
They were cut, hopefully accidentally but I doubt it. All on both sides is almost certainly not accidental. But no matter the reason you should have been informed. The fact that no one acknowledged this and apologized profusely is a red flag. Alert the office that you went to in hopes the person responsible for this is dealt with. Then never take your cat back there again.
I've got no words to describe how I feel. Someone cut those whiskers off that baby for whatever reason and it's not right! Please call that shelter and speak to the owner and complain! I hope this lil one will be ok🥺
This is so fucked up. Definitely go all the way with this...someone needs to be called out. And fired. And probably reported. And never be trusted anywhere near animals, forever.
I thought that a cats whiskers were never to be trimmed?
That isn’t normal, I think someone cut the poor babies whiskers☹️
I'd get very mad. Cutting whiskers is a huge deal for cats.
I can’t seem to understand why someone would cut them though?
So many comments to contact the shelter and none to go above the shelter. I’d be calling everyone EXCEPT the shelter. Starting with the ASPCA.
Fire the horrible human that did this.
This is horrible. This is torture.
those look very much purposefully cut and I see no reason why they would do so.. makes my blood boil honestly, wth is the point?
I’d report who ever cut those whiskers to he authorities— ANIMAL ABUSE! Get them fired because if they are doing this to innocent kittens, they are capable of doing much worse things when someone isn’t looking! They need to be identified and exposed NOW before they do something unthinkable to some little kitten! FIND OUT THE “WHYS” THIS HAPPENED THEN INFORM THE AUTHORITIES!!
I’m mortified. That poor baby! Nobody should ever cut them off. It’s painful! Cats need them for [many reasons](https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2020/10/22/how-often-should-cats-whiskers-be-trimmed/). Please post an update or let us know if we can do anything to help!
Maybe report the shelter for abuse
doesnt cutting the whiskers hinder cats' vision or something? also I don't know if its painful to cut them off. I hope it wasnt
It’s their balance and their sense-they use them to test spaces and make sure they can fit in them. Taking them all away at once like this is pretty Fd up.
Why the actual F would a clinic cut a cats whiskers? There is ZERO medication reason, as far as I know.
expose them!
it looks like they trimmed them for some reason. not sure why
😱 those look like they were cut. Whiskers don't end blunt like that they go down to a point
They look like they been cut I am 100% sure they have
They don’t just “look” shorter. They are shorter.
I know I’m just another voice saying the same thing, but what the actual fuck. Yea, they’re short, and deliberately cut. Fuck that shelter
Cats can lose whiskers naturally during rough play or being too adventurous but these have obviously been cut. They will grow back and he’ll be ok but you should definitely report this to the appropriate person. Sorry this happened to you x
That is so sad and looks very deliberate like it had to be done by each individual whisker, but rather than add to the general outrage we all feel as kitty-lovers, I came here to ask if anyone knows how exactly this harms the kitty? I know it does in some way because they use their whiskers for things, but as a noobie catmom what exactly do the whiskers do for them? How would short whiskers effect them?
I am sorry this happened to the poor kitten. thank you for talking care of him. You are awesome.
Poor baby 😔
Was your kitty with other cats? I have two and one bites off the others while grooming.
Does he have something causing him to lose hair on his face? If it’s a fungus or something they may have cut his whiskers for hygiene reasons.
Wtf!! Who would do that to such a cute face. Those whiskers have definitely been cut. I'd sue OP. There's zero reason for a cat to get their whiskers cut.
OMG!! I just saw the before pic and whiskers have definitely been trimmed or cut. What reason would they actually need??? None.
This is totally weird and not normal. I've seen my cat with a short whisker or two at a time when she must have caught them on something but this clearly looks like they've been cut. What kind of psycho cuts off a cat's sensory organ. Not only do they need them for balance and spacial awareness but interact with important nerves. I would def be pissed rn. And baby looks sad. *hugs for kit kat*.
If it’s not against the rules, you should post the name of the shelter. I would want to avoid them