Cats’ up-close vision is not especially sharp, so they rely heavily on information from their whiskers when prey is in or near their mouth. When in hunting mode, the twelve whiskers on both sides of the nose are held forward to detect the prey’s movement, so that the cat can make fine-tuned adjustments for the killing bite. These whiskers on their upper lip—combined with the whiskers on their cheeks, over the eyes, and on the chin, inner wrist, and back of the legs—all help cats “see” in 3-D.
