Why Are Cats Afraid Of Cucumber
Recent time, Social media is going crazy about videos of cats being freaked out of cucumbers (source). Some people find them interesting and funny because of cats’ weird behavior, some people tried the funk with their own cats the shared with others, however, some put a question mark of why cats are afraid of cucumber that much.
Cats are in Tiger family but being domestic nourished, they behave a bit strange from their gangs. These animals also are under stress and anxiety as human sometimes. For example, in human, stress can cause depression or aggressive attitude, symptom in cats are the same. Stress can come from fear, which arises from changes in living environment or sudden appearance of something without their noticing, in this case, people sneak up cucumber not letting cats know about its existence. As a result, fear can make both animal and humankind shocked and thrilled for a while.
For insanely behavior of cats against cucumbers, there are some sound explanation.
1. Cats' curiosity
Cats get curious to everything around them. They are in ready to detect everything out of their knowledge , even the pipe, plastic bags or machine (source) however, there is the same reaction cats have always if there is something go wrong of their expectation or it is just the way they prepare to interact with everything in advance. Panic. Cats jump or spring up to the directions away from things.
This type of reaction seems to be identical to cucumbers.
Their shocking reaction to cucumbers just due to their unexpected appearance. As mentioned above, cat can get stressed from knowledge they haven't got used to.
Most of cases in Youtube or shared video showed that the cat owners put a cucumber behind or next to the cats without notifying them. They waited for cats doing their own business such as sleeping or mostly eating then placed fruit there with no noise. The unexpected appeared in cats’ vision make them freaked out. Naturally, people conclude cats as a curious and caution animal at the same time (source). If the bananas or avocado or toys were placed like this, cats will produce same reaction. But for their caution, they do as if everything could have hurt them at anytime if they do not stay way on time.
People can notice that, in some case when cats reacted against the cucumbers after seeing them, they still stepped closer to detect the thing.
For other creatures out of their knowing, cat behave the same aggressively and freakedly, too.
2. Snake-look-like appearance of cucumbers
Secondly, cucumbers possess a look of plainly furless snakes, which are cats’ enemy every time. We can see silent appearance of cucumbers seems to like snakes’. They are secret, no noise and careful. Cat and snake fight all the time so when there is something happen in their vision looking like their rival, it is easy to understand why they reacted so shocked.
The cat return after humping high ups from cucumbers can partly prove it. When they know what they have to face for or they doubt if the green shinny long object could be a snake, cats come by close with higher awareness and readiness of fighting.
Length of bananas will make cats do the same. By sneaking bananas up to cats while they are in sleeping or relaxing, they all become terrified as they do to cucumbers.
Another consideration is how cats do to cucumbers after that. Their activities look like investigation and caution at the same time, as to bananas, continuous touch to study objects and they look like being in fight with snake.
The green of cucumber maybe the reason, too. Try it by another green, such as of avocado, people will get the identical outcome.
3. Recommendation for cat owners
However, cat owners should not create any complication to cats. These reactions against things such as cucumbers may cause stress to your cats. Stress in cats is not different from human but stay quite the same. Stress caused by being scared is fear, which makes cats become depressed and more cautious to everything it get in touch in life every day and even worse, you cats may disorder in behavior due to abuse instant complications.
For a long run, threatening your cats with cucumbers or intentionally create compilations to make fun of them might cause them depressed and overact to everything after. They may feel insecure and weirdly examine and fight with stuffs randomly and in future, become one of a domestic ruiner.
In conclusion, the truth of that cats are scared of cucumbers is not just cucumbers reason itself. Cats are normally freaked out dues to changes of surrounding environment because their instinct is curious and caution, they will raise their awareness if something newly appear in their vision or do not stay as their expectation. This phenomenon do not only appear when cats meet cucumbers but other objects such as bags, toasting machine, bananas ,… whatever possess moves cats do not know. However, every kind does. Even people will be thrilled more or less if something suddenly appears.
Cats also might mistake green color ad long shape of cucumbers other predators, in this case, properly snake, and their secretly appearance is no doubt scary to all animals and push their shock then caution the the highest level. In somehow, this might belong to their curiosity as well. Bananas with the same length can create the same reaction if they are quietly placed next to cats (source).
However, science and cats psychologist do not recommend actions of threatening pets by the unexpected, for example, placing cucumbers to terrify cats. The reason is these activities may accidentally put cats in depression and stay them in high caution for a long time.
As a consequence, if you have to answer why cats are so afraid of cucumbers, you are able to explain pretty clearly that it is not just cucumbers theory but cats’ natural behavior and features themselves.