Whisker fatigue causes stress and overstimulates their senses. Using a flat bowl or plate will relieve this issue and allow your cat to eat all their food without stress.

You can also search for “whisker fatigue” bowls specifically made for cats.

More info

  • marmo7ade@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    110
    ·
    2 years ago

    Not all feline vets think whisker fatigue is a real condition or cause for concern. Dr. Cathy Lund of City Kitty, a feline-only veterinary practice in Providence, R.I, questions the validity of whisker fatigue. While a cat’s whiskers do serve as very sensitive tactile sensors, she does not believe contact between whiskers and objects causes stress in cats.

    Yea, me too. The article is based on inference and opinion. You actually have no idea what your cat thinks about whiskers touching the bowl.

    That said, stress, for whatever reason, is a real issue of concern for cat owners and vets, Lund says.

    No one is doubting this. The amount of stress this puts on that cat is what is doubted.

    • UhBell@lemmy.worldOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      27
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      2 years ago

      Not every cat responds the same, or at all, to stress on their whiskers. Just like people, cats have varrying tolerances to stimulus.

      Anecdotally, my cats would not finish their food in narrow bowls but do now that they eat from flat bowls.

    • pizza_rolls@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      2 years ago

      So far the only actual study we have on this says it’s not a real thing. Sure, some cats have different preferences but it’s not like you are torturing your cat with normal bowls and need to run out and buy special ones.

      https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1098612X20930190

      If you’re feeding your cat an infinite supply of dry food without a feeding schedule you have bigger things to be concerned about than whisker fatigue.

        • pizza_rolls@kbin.social
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          2 years ago

          It’s well documented it veterinary literature, you can believe the studies or not 🤷‍♀️. It’s not like it kills your cat instantly, you just deal with diabetes kidney or urinary issues in the future. Not sure why someone would not try to prevent that.