Moon was having eating issues, familiar ones to many cat owners: He batted food out of his bowl before he would eat it. Some days he seemed terrified even to approach his feeding dish.

Moon’s owner, Cheryl Anne Gardner, did some internet research and found the likely cause: whisker fatigue.

As soon as she replaced Moon’s dish with a wide, shallow one that did not have rims or sides that brushed against his sensitive whiskers, both Moon and her other cat, Rupert, were much happier at mealtimes. Their chin acne, another common problem in cats, also cleared up.

Whisker fatigue is a fairly new diagnosis, one that many (but not all) veterinarians take seriously. When cats have to stick their faces into deep bowls and their whiskers rub up against the sides, the experience can be stressful, prompting them to paw the food onto the floor, fight with other cats or grow apprehensive at mealtimes.