Cats and cucumbers: all about the mysterious fear of felines
Not just cats against dogs: sometimes our domestic cats can also be frightened by objects that are harmless to us, but which in cats can cause incomprehensible reactions.
The explanation lies first of all in the cat's defensive reaction to anything unknown to them. The defense and escape in front of an object that appears mysterious and unknown to them is completely natural, and is part of the most ancestral defense mechanism of the cat.
See also
6 garden succulents that resist all year round
Why do cucumbers terrify cats?
The reason is very simple and is called predatory instinct. In the elongated shape and immobile position of cucumbers, cats may recognize other animals, such as snakes, which are dangerous to them, and this causes them to jump and run away. The elongated shape could also recall the tail of the mouse, which is hunted and preyed upon by the cat, and seeing a shape that resembles a prey would cause an alteration of their normal state of tranquility.
Fear of ambush
In fact, it's not the cucumbers themselves that frighten cats. In fact, when a cat sees a cucumber together with other vegetables, or in a fruit bowl, it does not have any kind of fear reaction. But when he is surprised by the cucumber, placed out of sight of the cat, he is negatively surprised and frightened. Not even dogs are able to scare cats in this sudden way: further proof of how strong and mysterious the survival instinct of animals can be.
The perception of cucumbers in cats
Cats have no problems with the taste of cucumber, which is actually included in their food preparations, and not even with their green color, which they do not actually perceive. What scares them is the elongated shape and the immobile position. In fact, the cat can mistake the cucumber for a predator and therefore react with fear, but also simply react suddenly due to the surprise effect. Not recognizing the object positioned behind him and due to the unknown and the surprise effect, the cat reacts with fear and flight.
The magic of the genetic heritage of cats
It is fascinating to see how, even without having had direct experience of being threatened by a snake, cats still react to the idea of their possible threat. This is possible thanks to the fact that in the cat's DNA there is the defense mechanism towards other predators, which has been handed down for generations and that it is present in them in an innate way.
What does it mean for a cat to be afraid?
We don't recommend that you try it yourself, because it's not cool to terrify cats just for fun. It can also be very dangerous for their health. If they are surprised by a still, dark object behind them, of an elongated shape that might resemble another animal, they literally jump in fear and run away.
When cats get scared their heartbeat accelerates, their breathing becomes more intense and their body temperature rises, just like we humans do.
This reaction is due precisely to acute stress. When the cat then observes the cucumber from a distance and realizes that it does not really pose a danger to him, he calms down and his values return to normal. In the event that the cat is heart disease or has particular pathologies, however, the fear could also have more serious consequences and the state of normality may not be so easy to find. This is why it is important to avoid scaring cats.
Exercises to overcome fear
There are real exercises designed specifically to teach our cats not to be afraid of cucumbers, and to overcome trauma after a scare. These exercises are inspired by dog training techniques, and are based on two fundamental principles: desensitization and counter-conditioning.
Desensitization occurs when the feline and the object in question have never interacted with each other, so in the absence of a traumatic episode. Since the fear of the cat is due to the mystery around this object, desensitization helps us to introduce this vegetable to the animal in a harmonious and gradual way, making it familiar with it gradually and thus eliminating the source of the disturbance.
Counter-conditioning, on the other hand, is the right solution when there has already been an episode, which has led to a trauma due to a wrong interaction between the two. It will be enough to make an effort to keep the cat calm in the presence of the cucumber to help him overcome the terror. In general, counterconditioning takes longer to be effective than desensitization, but with the right patience it will surely prove effective. The important thing is not to try to speed up the cat's response times and to respect its sensitivity.
Viral Cat Videos: Is It Worth It?
The growing trend of scaring one's cats with cucumbers on purpose, filming their reaction and then putting the videos online, is very dangerous and completely useless. In fact, for some likes you expose your pet to a stress that can be really harmful for him and have a traumatic effect on his body. Unfortunately cats are often victims of this type of treatment by their owners, who for a handful of likes forget how senseless it is to expose your pet to all this.
