Washington State University
Dr. Universe: Why are cats afraid of cucumbers/snakes? – Aurelia, 8, Canada
Dear Aurelia,
It’s been almost 10 years since somebody went viral for recording a cat freaking out a few cucumber. In that video, a human sneaked up behind a cat whereas it was consuming. They silently placed a cucumber behind the cat. When the cat circled, it jumped tremendous excessive and ran away. Soon, plenty of individuals have been making these movies.
I requested my buddy Jessica Bunch why all these cats have been scared. She’s a veterinarian at Washington State University.
She advised me that cats will be shocked by new issues. That’s very true if the brand new factor exhibits up with out warning. Or whereas the cat has its guard down. Like when a cat is consuming, and a human sneaks up with a cucumber.
It’s potential that the shock units off an inside alarm that warns cats about intruders. That intuition to startle and flee from potential hazard helps cats survive within the wild. It’s an intuition that persists for home cats residing soft, non-wild lives.
“Even though we’ve domesticated them to a certain extent, cats aren’t considered 100% domesticated like dogs are,” Bunch mentioned. “They still resemble wild cats. They still have some of the natural behaviors their wild cohorts do.”
If you’ve ever seen me pounce on a spherical of Cougar Gold cheese, you understand that’s true.
The second a part of the query is whether or not that concern response is as a result of a cucumbe resembles a snake. Could or not it’s an inherited concern of snakes that freaks out felines?
Bunch advised me that cat consultants aren’t certain about that. In the wild, cats usually tend to be predators than prey. Many wild cats are even apex predators. That means they don’t have pure predators of their ecosystems.
It’s true {that a} significantly massive and daring snake may gobble up smaller cats and child cats.
But cats are simply as more likely to prey on snakes. Bunch mentioned there merely isn’t sufficient proof to say that this concern is about snakes.
But cat consultants do agree that this pattern may cause issues for cats and the people who love them. Just like individuals, cats have personalities.
Some cats and a few persons are extra delicate or anxious than others. Unfortunately, most cats can’t inform you what stresses them out.
The startle-and-flee response that appears so foolish within the movies is a clue that it’s a scary expertise. There are different clues {that a} cat feels unsafe. Like if they begin hiding extra or don’t need to work together with their individuals as a lot. An unsafe cat may even do issues that people hate. Like destroying your furnishings or utilizing your stuff as a litter field.
It’s fairly particular that cats have lived and labored with people for a minimum of 10,000 years. It can be a cat-astrophe to interrupt that belief over a cucumber.
Sincerely,
Dr. Universe
Adults will help children submit a query at askdruniverse.wsu.edu/ask.
