Relationships July 11, 2017
No, I am not a cat.
A lot of people are sitting at home right now thinking, “Why are cats afraid of cucumbers?”
And that’s 100 percent okay. But to take it the extra mile and test it out with your furry friend isn’t very nice.
When I was in high school, I discovered that my I could pretend my dog, Buster, was invisible and freak him out. I would call him, but when he came, I would start frantically looking for him around the house.
He barked to let me know he was there. He went to go get my grandma to let her know something was wrong. When I finally noticed him, he was ecstatic. Then he died. (Five years later. At 17. But I still feel bad about it sometimes.)
Years ago, Animal Planet aired a countdown of deadliest predators. And, if I’m not mistaken, their number one predator was this guy:
Yeah, that’s right. A house cat was the world’s deadliest predator. Not because of their size or their sharp claws. But because they’re one of the only animals besides humans that hunt for sport.
That is because they have very, very strong instincts, remnants of a time when their ancestors were wild and free. However, cats, like every other animal on the food chain, were also occasionally the prey.
Why are cats afraid of cucumbers? Why are cats afraid of bananas? What are cats scared of?
Cats just don’t like to be surprised by anything. It’s like that feeling in a horror movie when the character thinks they’re safe and then they turn a corner and a knife-wielding murderer is in front of them. I bet you’d jump, too. The leap away the cat does is an instinctual act of preservation.
Stressing your pet out for no reason is not a good idea. For one, it’s just mean. Stress isn’t good for humans and it’s not good for pets, either. Increased levels of stress for pets can cause behavioral problems.
Ex: Urinating outside of the litter box, excessive grooming, decrease in appetite and aggression. You can make your pet depressed.
Go head, laugh at that gif. That cat got dangerously close to that table. Imagine if he’d hit it. When cats are jumping away, they’re not going gently.
Please, don’t risk injuring your cat for a laugh. There are enough cat videos on the internet.
