By moving her moustache, your sweetheart determines the wind speed and direction so that she can adjust her body position and drag in response to the information she receives.
When a cat is hunting, its whiskers are outstretched, because it uses them to detect any sniffing. And when it holds its prey in its teeth and cannot see it, it uses its whiskers to control the behaviour of its prey, which is out of sight at the time.
The vibrissae are all over the body.
If you look at a cat’s coat, you will see individual hairs sticking out of the smooth surface. These hairs are finer and do not have the perfect sensitivity of whiskers, but they also help the cat to identify where and how it is being touched. This makes it easy for the cat to identify contacts that are dangerous or, conversely, pleasant. There is a reason why your pet likes to have its fur stroked – after all, your hand is actually gliding over the vibrissae – and dislikes being stroked against its fur – such stroking brings discomfort caused by electrostatic discharges.
Vibrissae are the cat’s navigation system. Damage to them will lead to an inability to navigate accurately and the animal will keep running into obstacles. For example, a cat may poke its eye out trying to get through the undergrowth because it will not be able to close its eyes in time if it does not receive signals from the vibrissae in its eyebrows. It may get stuck in a narrow window because it will not be able to determine its size correctly. If the vibrissae are severely damaged, it is recommended not to take any risks and to keep the animal at home for several months until they have healed.