Two people who I know, love, and respect have recently told me that they collect cat whiskers. They own cats, and they collect their whiskers. One of them is making a clay pot in which to store the whiskers. The other keeps them in a drawer. They have no plans for the whiskers, or none they’ll tell me about.

These are professional people. Only one of them is an artist. The other is a graphic designer, but that doesn’t really count. 

I’m only mildly grossed out about the idea of people collecting cat whiskers—the impulse reminds me of people who collect finger nail clippings—but not undemanding why they do it feels like psychological torture. I don’t understand why it’s happening. Are people collecting cat whiskers? Is this a thing? Why is this a thing.

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10 replies on “Anyone Out There Collecting Cat Whiskers?”

  1. I had a Girlfriend who kept her dead cats’(multiple) whiskers on a little shrine thingy. So I guess it’s a thing 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’ll allow it bc it’s less annoying than dog people.

  2. “Unlike human hair, a cat’s whiskers are deeply embedded and connected to the nervous system. The tips of these keratin threads are equipped with sensory organs called proprioceptors that send messages to the brain and help the cat determine an object’s distance, direction, and even surface texture. They’re akin to a human’s sense of smell or vision, and this is why a cat’s whiskers should never be cut.”

    https://www.treehugger.com/things-you-didnt-know-about-cat-whiskers-4864051

  4. It reminds me of an old Tom and Jerry cartoon, where Jerry’s country music guitar playing Uncle comes through town, and steals whiskers from Tom to use as guitar strings.

  5. It reminds me of an old Tom and Jerry cartoon where Jerry’s country guitar playing uncle comes to town and steals whiskers from Tom to use as guitar strings

  7. It’s not at all weird that someone keeps their cat’s whiskers. Cats shed their whiskers regularly and finding one on the floor is a special surprise. I have an old spice jar for my cats’ whiskers.

  8. quite surprised

    no one’s mentioned

    collecting their wee turds

    they polish up nice

    exhibit a fine sheen

    and when necklaced

    distinguish their owner

    and repel much vermin.

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