Why cats are so afraid of cucumbers? Really? OK, I will be sceptical straightaway!
On social media, we stumble across many viral video pranks, like the ones featuring cats fleeing in fear, or bouncing into the air at the sight of a cucumber placed beside or behind them.
Why cats are so afraid of cucumbers is an idea that just sounds suspicious to me.
Most people are shocked to see this bizarre jumping reaction of cats when they see a cucumber.
As it turns out, this startling reaction is not due to the cucumber, after all it is only a vegetable.
It has more to do with the nature of the prank and maybe the resemblance of cucumber to a snake.
A snake? Let’s take this last one with a grain of salt while we investigate.
Cucumbers might Remind the Cats of Deadly Snakes
A cucumber, at a stretch, looks somewhat like one of nature’s deadliest predators – the snake. Some snakes are known to attack and even eat cats.
So, the cucumber’s resemblance to a life threatening predator could be alarming and intimidating to a cat.
However many cats do not possess a fear of snakes.
Some cats even hunt snakes for eating. It makes us wonder what makes all the cats go crazy, if it is not just the resemblance of snakes?
Does this explain the leaping and freaking out of the cats in the videos?
Cats are known for their unusual behavior, even ripping and tearing paper.
Cats are Not Big Fans of Surprises
As per the opinions of the experts and professionals, it is not the cucumber that scares the cats, but almost anything that sneaks up on them is enough for the cats to get terrified.
Cats are alert animals. They are always vigilant and have excellent situational awareness.
Most of us have seen those prank videos of cats getting freaked out by cucumbers.
Everyone must have noticed that the cucumbers were deliberately placed behind the cats.
Plus, they are not paying attention when they are peacefully enjoying a meal with their heads deep in the food bowl.
Cats usually eat when they are sure there is no threat in the surroundings. They are super careful about their food and thus associate their ‘food stations’ as areas with known elements of surprise or where they feel safe and secure.
This is why they prefer familiar surroundings.
Do you know what your cat should NOT eat? This is a comprehensive list! Are cucumbers on the list?
But in this case, when cats spot a green cucumber lying on the floor behind them when it wasn’t there minutes before, it freaks them out because they didn’t expect it to be there.
Let’s face it, we would be scared if some unexpected thing suddenly appears and often this does give us a fright.
According to various animal behaviourists, the reaction is due to the novelty and unexpectedness of finding an unusual object secretly placed near them when their heads were down in the food bowl.
Cats would not usually find cucumbers lying around them on the floor, so the sheer novelty of the whole action makes them feel unsafe, resulting in the over the top reaction.
Why Are Cats So Afraid Of Cucumbers Or Unfamiliar Objects?
Unfamiliar or foreign objects that look threatening to the cat might initiate the cat’s, startle response, or fight or flight response, due to the adrenaline rush.
In cats, flight response is pretty dominant in such situations.
The cat responds to these dramatic situations by usually jumping, increasing the heart rate.
The body posture of the cat becomes aggressive in response to potential danger. The cat’s muscles stiffen and the back arches to create an aggressive stance. Their heart rate and the fear response reach the roof.
These types of responses are not only limited to cats, but humans and every other animal also respond to surprises in similar ways.
Many of us have most likely jumped or screamed at the sight of a spider and noticed that there is an adrenaline rush that makes our hearts race and we feel a little jittery for a short amount of time.
After this sudden experience has passed, it takes a while to return to a normal state. The heartbeat slows down, the hormone levels start to normalize, and body posture eases.
Why is it Not Ideal to Indulge in Pranks with Our Cats?
Watching a cat jump and bounce in the air due to sheer fright may be funny for some (not me, actually), but it is not funny for the cat.
As explained earlier, cats get frightened by the sudden and unexpected appearance of a cucumber.
The cats jump away in such a hurry to prevent a possible attack. In a hurry to get away, the cat does not see or care about its surroundings.
The cat only focuses on getting away, so in this process, the cat may break something valuable to us, hurt someone in the vicinity, or even injure itself.
Why cats are so afraid of cucumbers actually has nothing to do with the cucumber.
We should know that repeated surprises can induce anxiety and sustain stress. Stress and anxiety play a significant role in ruining our pet’s health and partially impairing their immune system, making them more prone to various diseases.
Trying to scare a cat or any pet is ethically wrong and cruel too. Taking pleasure in someone else’s misery is not an excellent quality to possess or cultivate, and that extends to cats.
Instead of frightening the cat with the cucumber, we should try to introduce it and other foreign objects to the cat gradually, not suddenly. Try to introduce the cucumber or other object where the cat can see it, so that the cat does no feel threatened.
Prolonged exposure to cucumbers will allow the cats to differentiate the harmless edible vegetable from life threatening snakes.
I don’t know about you but that’s quite enough about cucumbers for me.
