Maybe you’ve been wondering lately why cats are scared of cucumbers? After seeing on social networks that there are more and more people uploading videos of their cats reacting strangely to this vegetable, the question has appeared since some are curious, but others are concerned about the reaction of these animals in videos such as the one that we will show next.
Some cats are not concerned that you are bringing this vegetable to you, but other cats are scared of cucumbers and jump so high in the air when they see it. Videos of such encounters have recently gone viral where people try to show how their own pets respond, but after reading this post you will realize they are not funny at all, because that is not good for animals, experts warn. .
National Geographic consulted experts on the subject and explained the reactions of these animals, ensuring that scaring them to satisfy our curiosity is not a good thing for them. Jill Goldman, a renowned animal behavior expert in California, commented: “If you stress an animal, this is most likely not a good thing. If you do it to laugh, this makes me question your humanity. ”
John Bradshaw, a cat behavior expert from the University of Bristol and the author of the book Cat Sense, agrees, saying the “despicable” videos are “an incitement for people to scare their cats and then invite the people to laugh at it.
Goldman explains that cucumbers are eliciting natural alert responses in cats since they “don’t normally see a cucumber on the ground,” viewing the situation as a threat. They possibly associate the shape and green color of the strange invader with snakes, which can be deadly predators, Goldman says. This is why cats jump in such videos.
The fact that cucumbers are placed near where cats tend to feed as we see in the videos confuses cats as those areas are often associated with safety and protection, adds Pam Johnson Bennett, author of the Think Like book. a Cat (think like a cat). “It is a very cruel thing,” she says.
Bringing new objects around the house can be a good source of mental stimulation for pets, but it shouldn’t be done to drive them crazy, Goldman says.
Remember that trying to scare your cat on purpose could cause them to be injured, break something, or lead to prolonged stress.
Sources:
- ABC: “Why These Scaredy Cats Are Absolutely Terrified of Cucumbers”
- Mental Floss: “Why Are Cats Afraid of Cucumbers?”
- National Geographic: “People Are Scaring Their Cats With Cucumbers. They Shouldn’t.”