If you rewind the tape, you may remember just how much you’ve laughed by watching cats jumping due to the unexpected presence of an “evil”… cucumber! That’s right, cats seem to hate them more than you hated spinachs on your mom’s soup! But really, why are cats scared of cucumbers? What makes them react this way, and can this have an impact on your kitty’s behavior? Come and find out! ?
So, exactly why are cats scared of cucumbers?
When wondering about why cats are scared of cucumbers, don’t forget this key word “unexpectedness”. At least that’s what Dr. Roger Mugford reported to the British newspaper Telegraph: “I think that the reaction is due to the novelty and unexpectedness of finding an unusual object secretly placed whilst their heads were down in the food bowl”. Therefore, you can easily conclude that you could put anything else beyond a cucumber near your cat while they’re eating, like “a model spider, a plastic fish or a human face mask” – and they’d be afraid too. In addition, Mugford says that cats get so nervous that they’ll rapidly associate the cucumber to a “snake or another predator”. However, please note that some of our feline friends may not even care if they see the cucumber of any unexpected object near them, as Rachel Malamed states. ??
Is it dangerous to scare your cat with a cucumber?
To be honest: yes, it can be. Although you may be laughing for a while, scaring your cat can result in “redirected aggression or in a posttraumatic stress disorder”, according to Dr. Christopher Pachel, from Animal Behavior Clinic in Portland, Oregon. Malamed adds that cats may become “more reactive, fearful, and even aggressive” if you keep scaring them time and time again. In rare cases, they can even associate this phobia to eating-time, resulting in an aversion to food. ?
Have you laughed at the footage? Well, we must confess that we found some of the clips funny, too… ? In any case, don’t forget that your cat brings you many benefits, they simply love you and you’ll be causing them discomfort with this joke. So, it’s better to just stop and bring them the yarn ball instead! ?
