You may have seen videos on social media of cats turning to find the cage left by its owner, and jumping legs up! It’s hard not to believe that this is extremely funny, but why do cats seem to be afraid of this harmless vegetable at first? And most importantly, is that something we should be doing to our jumpy kitti?
Snakes or Miracles?
Airborne patches often involve someone placing the whole cat quietly behind their confused cat – when the cat turns around, it looks terrified to suddenly see a green danger, and jump. Why is this?
There are a few doctrines that are broken on the air. The most popular being a cat thinks that the crocodile is a venomous snake, and quickly jumps. Animal biologists have said this, and it would be logical; we all jumped 10 feet in the air when a deadly snake bounced on us! In fact, there is evidence that people only fear snakes and snake-like objects as a means of protection, so cats may have similar characteristics. However, the evidence is flawless. Again there are no studies that have shown a cat’s association between cats and snakes. Plus, some cats seem to show no curiosity at all! So the jury is out of that.
Another great teaching is that cats are just amazing!
Anything can be scary if it suddenly jumps on you. Think of how many horror movies make you jump fast with an innocent object before the real monster appears. Cats are natural creatures and do not need change, too, even if they are animals. Wild cats should always be alert to danger. These two traits were passed on to domestic cats and the other could explain their predictive nature of cats.
Turning and suddenly facing the big green thing is not what they expected, so no wonder they are… surprised! One proof of this is that some videos show a variety of things that make cats jump in the air, and not all of them look like snakes. Maybe these cats are just amazed at the sudden appearance of something unexpected?
You can test the theory with your own cat by showing them cucumber in public, rather than hiding it (please never hide it, as we will discuss later). Chances are your cat will give off a bad smell and discomfort. Surely if they thought it was a snake, crocodiles were terrible no matter how they were brought to them?
The theory above does not include the possibility that the cat is shocked and scared. They think it is a snake or something that has caught them. But it makes sense for viral videos to show how a cat responds to something they do not expect to be done.
Stress-Inducing Cucumbers
Well, so if the Cats Scared of Cucumbers makes your cat jump because of its appearance like a snake, or because it is strange; is it a good idea to get them to jump because of the virus video anyway? We do not think so. Every time an animal is scared or surprised, their body produces a response to stress. This releases chemicals such as cortisol and adrenaline into fight-or-flight action. Anxiety is needed to keep the animal safe (because one day a cucumber can be a snake!) But too often high temperatures, or high volatility, can harm our cats.
The harm is caused by stress
Prolonged stress in cats can lead to issues such as anxiety, cruelty or harmful behavior, toilet issues, hair loss, weight loss, high blood pressure, insomnia and other symptoms. In severe cases, stress may begin to damage the body and cause serious illness. Vets often have to work hard to identify the causes and correct the symptoms of chronic anxiety in cats. It can also make joint diseases harder to treat again. Cat owners should always do what they can to reduce their cat’s stress as much as possible.
Now, of course, we are not saying that one sudden surprise with a cucumber causes a serious illness within you; but is it okay to be causing unnecessary stress? We would be disappointed to try to get your cat to jump on anything, green vegetables or otherwise. There is no need for it, and the stress response has never been better. We especially disappoint this in older or younger cats, where the stress response can have a detrimental effect on their survival. If you are looking to make a video with your cats, please check their good condition before the amount of demand you can get, and avoid scaring them.
Why not scare your cat
You may have collected now that cats are not big fans of surprises or big changes. Sneaking out or teasing her is not something we recommend.
When a cat is frightened, they may want to run away from anything that has frightened them immediately and explore from a distance. This sharp jolt and sudden escape can cause your cat to injure itself, not to mention the obvious harassment of fear.
Most of the videos where cats are threatened in this way are done near cat food bowls. This is unthinkable (and also cruel) as cats attach their food bowls as a place of preservation, and so much less expect any surprises.
Repeated stress like this can greatly undermine the trust you have built with your cat and the overall relationship, and it can take years to resolve. Some cats are predisposed to be stronger than others and can seriously affect their long-term mental health to feel insecure in what should be their safe haven.
This can make your cat reactive and difficult to handle. Distressed cats act in many ways that can damage relationships. Anyone who has rescued a cat from a bad situation knows that it can take a long time to build trust in a distressed cat. It could be a long way back to Soft kitty, warm kitty from there.
