Male Cat Chewing Whiskers Off Female Cat

Question:

My kitties, Whiskers and Mitzi, love each other. They play together, sleep together and also apart. They are compatible in all ways. However, Whiskers (the male) apparently thinks that Mitzi is not clean enough so he grooms her, but he chews her whiskers off. He holds her down and licks her face and then he chews off her whiskers. She takes it until she has had enough and then she wiggles and takes off. He isn't hurting her. She looks silly with short and uneven whiskers. Is this normal? Should I be concerned?

- Sherry

Answer:

Sherry,
It sounds like you are very lucky to have two such very sweet kitties that play together so well! It is very common for one cat to groom another. It is less common for them to do it to the point that they are causing damage to the other cat. It is possible that he was weaned too early and this contributes to the reasons that he does this. It does not sound like this should be a major problem for either one of them!

Thank you for your question,
Sara F. Jennen DVM