My cat came home with singed whiskers... How concerned should I be?
June 23, 2015 3:22 PM Subscribe
My cat came home with singed whiskers... How concerned should I be?
I let him out at 8am and came home at 2pm and noticed he had singed whiskers just on one side of his face. He seems fine. But I am obviously concerned about how this happened. So far all I can think of is that maybe we have someone who wants to hurt cats and I should definitely not let the cat out ever again.
Can anyone think of another explanation? Could some sort of chemical he laid in do that? Which would mean we have a different problem. Or could a car do that? Again, still a problem, but less disconcerting than a burgeoning serial killer...
Should I file a police report?
Thanks MeFi! I will post an obligatory cat pic as a comment.
I let him out at 8am and came home at 2pm and noticed he had singed whiskers just on one side of his face. He seems fine. But I am obviously concerned about how this happened. So far all I can think of is that maybe we have someone who wants to hurt cats and I should definitely not let the cat out ever again.
Can anyone think of another explanation? Could some sort of chemical he laid in do that? Which would mean we have a different problem. Or could a car do that? Again, still a problem, but less disconcerting than a burgeoning serial killer...
Should I file a police report?
Thanks MeFi! I will post an obligatory cat pic as a comment.
I had a cat who had no self-preservation instinct and would regularly get singed from bonfires, candles, etc.
BUT. That said, I would keep kitty indoors from now on. I wouldn't take the chance that someone in the neighborhood is up to no good.
posted by cooker girl at 3:27 PM on June 23, 2015 [10 favorites]
BUT. That said, I would keep kitty indoors from now on. I wouldn't take the chance that someone in the neighborhood is up to no good.
posted by cooker girl at 3:27 PM on June 23, 2015 [10 favorites]
It really could be anything. I had a cat who jumped up onto a table and stood over a lit candle so he could get at some prosciutto. Sometimes cats don't notice when their hair is on fire.
Seconding keeping the cat inside, though. Unless the kitty is contained by a fence that they can't escape, outside is pretty dangerous for cats.
Also, d'aaaaawwwww look at that face
posted by bedhead at 3:36 PM on June 23, 2015 [4 favorites]
Seconding keeping the cat inside, though. Unless the kitty is contained by a fence that they can't escape, outside is pretty dangerous for cats.
Also, d'aaaaawwwww look at that face
posted by bedhead at 3:36 PM on June 23, 2015 [4 favorites]
Another sad candleless cat owner here, because my adorable, dumb kitty singed a big patch of her own fur snuggling up to one because IT HAZ WARMS. I wouldn't leap to the conclusion that malice was involved, because cats.
posted by restless_nomad at 3:44 PM on June 23, 2015 [12 favorites]
posted by restless_nomad at 3:44 PM on June 23, 2015 [12 favorites]
It could be anything at all. Your cat will be just fine. Depending how much of his whiskers he lost he may try and squeeze into spaces he can't fit into on accident because whiskers help cats judge the 'I canz fit' . Since cats sometimes do things arbitrarily anyway he'll figure it out. But they'll grow back.
You can ask around to see if anybody else with outside animals had noticed something going on to ease your fears.
posted by AlexiaSky at 3:44 PM on June 23, 2015
You can ask around to see if anybody else with outside animals had noticed something going on to ease your fears.
posted by AlexiaSky at 3:44 PM on June 23, 2015
You could always post a neighborhood sign like this one.
posted by jimmereeno at 4:10 PM on June 23, 2015 [14 favorites]
posted by jimmereeno at 4:10 PM on June 23, 2015 [14 favorites]
My indoor kitty sometimes has singed whiskers; I suspect she gets them from doing something she shouldn't on the kitchen counter (where she's not supposed to be) like brushing up against the kettle or a skillet or what have you. So, it might not be something nefarious.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:17 PM on June 23, 2015
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:17 PM on June 23, 2015
You don't have your location in your profile, but if you are in a part of the world where it is winter, I would guess she snuggled up to an open fire somewhere, maybe while visiting someone's house. My childhood cat pretty much always had singed whiskers due to close encounters with fireplaces.
posted by lollusc at 5:07 PM on June 23, 2015
posted by lollusc at 5:07 PM on June 23, 2015
Once, I wouldn't worry. Accidents occur, and cats do weird things sometimes. Second time this happens though i'd suggest that Kitty becomes an indoor cat for his own protection.
posted by cgg at 5:38 PM on June 23, 2015
posted by cgg at 5:38 PM on June 23, 2015
If this is someone who wanted to hurt cats it would be much worse than singed whiskers. After decades of kitty ownership I am confident this wound was self inflicted, accidentally. (Also, your kitty is ADORABLE.) I'd keep kitty in the house . . . this is a good warning about all the hazards that await kitties who roam.
posted by bearwife at 6:03 PM on June 23, 2015
posted by bearwife at 6:03 PM on June 23, 2015
If this is someone who wanted to hurt cats it would be much worse than singed whiskers. After decades of kitty ownership I am confident this wound was self inflicted, accidentally.
Yes, pure accident. Singed whiskers is an investigation that went wrong.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:12 PM on June 23, 2015 [5 favorites]
Yes, pure accident. Singed whiskers is an investigation that went wrong.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:12 PM on June 23, 2015 [5 favorites]
I'll venture that they're not really singed. Something else happened to damage them in a way that makes you mistake them for singed. Most likely, a fight with another animal.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:23 PM on June 23, 2015
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:23 PM on June 23, 2015
I think its important to acknowledge that this a VERY GOOD CAT.
After that, my insane indoor cat somehow managed to get covered in grease the other week, in a 2nd floor apartment. He also loves showers and cooking, to the point where we can't leave the stove alone while boiling water or rice because he nudges the pot. He hasn't singed anything yet but its crazy what kind of trouble an apartment bound cat can get into.
posted by kittensofthenight at 11:09 PM on June 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
After that, my insane indoor cat somehow managed to get covered in grease the other week, in a 2nd floor apartment. He also loves showers and cooking, to the point where we can't leave the stove alone while boiling water or rice because he nudges the pot. He hasn't singed anything yet but its crazy what kind of trouble an apartment bound cat can get into.
posted by kittensofthenight at 11:09 PM on June 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
My wife *used* to enjoy lighting candles throughout the house. That is, until my cat lost his eye brows (those scattered long hairs above his eyes) to a candle in the bathroom. We admonished him about the dangers of fire, that getting too close will cause bodily harm, but barely got a response. Then we realized he's really not catching on, because cat.
posted by lzd at 11:22 PM on June 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by lzd at 11:22 PM on June 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
Owner of a cat who loves to go visiting and who also jumped from the floor onto a shoulder height chest of drawers that had a lit candle on it! He was fine, but he stank and his belly looked like it had a buzz cut (and he was all gritty too). Another vote for accident!
posted by jrobin276 at 1:06 AM on June 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by jrobin276 at 1:06 AM on June 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
My childhood cat jumped up the chimney over a lit fire once and when he came down his whiskers were all singed and curly. Cats are dumb.
posted by corvine at 7:14 AM on June 24, 2015
posted by corvine at 7:14 AM on June 24, 2015
My guess is a hot grill. Num, food, yikes!
posted by auntie maim at 8:23 AM on June 24, 2015
posted by auntie maim at 8:23 AM on June 24, 2015
Nthing that it could be anything, and that cats are curious. But, it's worth noting that cats exclusively kept indoors tend to live longer and are more likely to avoid all kinds of hazards, like whatever caused the singed whiskers, as well as parasites, poisons, cars, and yes, animal cruelty. Lots of reading material out there on the issue. So, I wouldn't file a police report or anything, but I'd consider keeping your kitty indoors.
posted by craven_morhead at 8:37 AM on June 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by craven_morhead at 8:37 AM on June 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 3:25 PM on June 23, 2015