These extremely sensitive hairs help your cat navigate and successfully hunt prey.

By Janet Lee

The old-fashioned term “the cat’s whiskers” means “the height of perfection” or “first-rate.” Popular in the 1920s, this expression, along with “the cat’s meow,” referred to the daring flappers described as “impossible to shock.” While the term is American in origin, people have disagreed over who deserves credit for coining it.

About 12 whiskers align in four rows that protrude from either side of the cat’s muzzle. There are also whiskers that appear behind the front paws of the cat.

The lexicographers William and Mary Morris believe both “cat” expressions originated in girls’ schools. Other sources say American sportswriter and cartoonist Thomas Dorgan (1877-1929) invented the expression at the turn of the 20th century. Regardless, the phrase’s meaning shows that the people who first used the expressions certainly understood the unique capabilities of your feline’s most sensitive hairs. …

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