Research overview: whiskers guiding the killing bite

When a cat captures prey, it must deliver a precise killing bite, often to the nape, and whiskers help guide that final action at a range where vision fails. This overview surveys evidence and observation that cats use their mystacial whiskers to detect the position and movement of prey held close to the mouth, orienting the bite even in darkness. As prey is grasped, the whiskers may fan forward to envelop and monitor it, providing tactile feedback about its struggles and orientation. The survey relates this to the broader role of whiskers in close-range targeting where the eyes cannot focus. It frames the whisker sense as essential to the conclusion of a hunt, when sight is least useful. Understanding how whiskers guide the killing bite illustrates the practical importance of tactile sensing in feline predation, complementing the long-range roles of vision and hearing earlier in the hunt.