CBC Radio 1 “Quirks and Quarks” has a Question/Answer show, where 10 questions sent in by listeners are picked, and 10 experts answer them. One question was, “Is it true that cat’s whiskers only grow as long as their bodies are wide?”

It was answered by a research veterinarian at U of Saskatchewan’s Vet College. The answer was, in general, yes, although there is some plasticity to the length that they will grow. They have receptors that can detect how wide an opening is, as well as some information as to the make-up of the object’s sides (smooth/rough, etc.). A cat with it’s whiskers cut off can negotiate a maze of openings just as well as a cat with whiskers in daylight, but will take significantly longer in darkness. Whiskers are shed and replaced over time just like other hair on the body. Whiskers on congenitally blind cats are a little longer (on average) than those of a sighted cat. Whiskers can grow a little longer on a cat that grows larger (wider) and heavier over its lifetime but not by very much.

Katie is an African wildcat living at the Birmingham Zoo in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. African wildcats are the closest wild relative of domestic cats–folks can almost be forgiven to think the zoo just put a common tabby on display.

Now enjoying retirement, Katie is a clone from the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species. There, in the mid-2000s, she mated with another clone, producing three wild kittens. This was among the first times this was successful. The hope is that developing this technology will help save species further on the brink than wildcats.

On behalf of the small wild cats, we would like to thank you for a terrific 2013! We thank the little girl who asked her family to donate to wild cats instead of giving birthday presents. We thank all of you who set up monthly donations. We thank our wonderful members who just keep on renewing. We thank each and every one of you who retweeted, liked, shared and commented on our social media pages. We thank all of you who took the time to make a donation – we appreciate the $5.00 as much as the $50,000 because we know it comes from the heart, and we are humbled.