Why Cat is Scared of Cucumber
Social media has recently been filled with videos showing cats' panic over cucumber, which raised many questions.
According to animal behaviorists, the reaction of cats is due to the suddenness of the situation, as a foreign object is placed near them while their heads are in the food bowl. And cats are apprehensive of things unfamiliar to them, and see colors in a way that distinguishes them from humans as if they are color-blind, which may cause them panic when seeing green cucumbers because they see this color closer to gray.
Previous reports also mentioned that the cats' reaction to the presence of this fruit behind them is closer to insanity by storming their comfort zone. The cat, before eating his food, studies the place around him to be reassured while eating, and disturbing the cat by placing something that was not present in the safety zone raises his fear and fear and behaves in a manner closer to insanity that may lead to his self-harm or harm to others, and the cat's hysteria may last for days.
For accuracy: the vision of cats appears blurry in relation to human vision, meaning that what a person sees is clear at a distance of 100 feet, the cat needs to be 20 feet from it to see it with the same clarity.
Seeing cats is similar to seeing a human with color blindness, meaning that their mind translates all the colors into three colors only - red, blue and green, but not exactly as the person sees them. You may see them faded as shades of color.
Her faded vision and the discrepancy of colors makes her vision of a cucumber like a snake in terms of the color she sees faded as a shadow, and in terms of the size or shape that she sees blurry, and by using her wild instinct when she sees a cucumber grain crawling on the ground behind her, she thinks that there is a snake attacking her and she is terrified.
Cats are very careful creatures, and they do not eat unless they feel safe, and that is why you sometimes find them transferring their food from the place designated for eating to another if they feel any sudden change.
In most of the videos, the cucumber was placed in the vicinity of its food plate and while the cat was eating, and as long as it eats, it considers this area completely safe for it, which makes seeing a cucumber like a snake is completely unexpected in a safe area.
The "IFL Science" scientific site explains that the truth is not necessarily as it appears in the clips, but the cats suddenly jump when they find the cucumber next to them without warning, and this means that their reaction is due to the element of surprise.
The site quotes a specialist in animal behavior, Roger Mugford, as saying, "I think this reaction is due to surprise, and not expecting to find an unusual object, which was secretly placed while the cats were poking their heads inside the food bowl."
Cats suspect anything that moves quickly, raises noise or lights up irregularly, or anything they cannot clearly understand, and this rule applies to humans and cucumbers alike.
"Cats should be suspicious of the unknown, as it could be dangerous as a snake or a predator. I think they will show the same reaction to a game of spider, plastic fish or a human face mask," says Mogford.
Cats are one of the closest pets to humans, but they are also strange in their reactions, and this is what a person discovers every day when focusing on their actions. Many videos have spread through many social media sites of cat owners who put the fruit of cucumbers to cats suddenly, so it was a response Their act was full of horror while running with horror, which of course is very important and needs further study to find out why.
Many followers of those videos have noticed the way to use the option to scare the cat, which is by placing the option behind the cat, so that she suddenly sees her and is afraid of her and runs away from the place along with the horror features that appear on her face before running.
1 - Some people said that the reason for this panic was that they saw the cucumber as a snake, but some people denied this matter at all.
2- Marius Tonte, a researcher at an animal conservation organization in Germany, confirms that the nature of cats is overwhelmed by anxiety, as they remain careful in all their movements, whether when eating or sleeping.
3 - Many researchers confirm in the same matter that the cat’s reaction from fear and panic is due to its surprise with the choice. You may imagine that it is a snake or an enemy that attacks it from the back or wants to harm it, meaning that it is an innate fear of something unknown in the beginning.
4 - One of the researchers in this matter warns against exploiting the cat’s fear of choice in this way as a kind of ridicule. The cat’s reaction is not the substance of it, as you may imagine that a snake attacks it, so its reaction will be violent and harmful to the person. For fun.
There are some theories, but there is no definitive answer. The same cats who quarrel with dogs and confront them with their high water and quarrelsome personality, see them afraid of a static cucumber grain on the ground. Why?
Most experts agree that it is not necessarily the choice itself that scares cats. One of the most famous explanations is that cucumber reminds cats of snakes, according to Reader's Digest.
“Cats are genetically predisposed by nature to avoid snakes,” Russian biologist Kon Slobodchikov, an expert on animal behavior and author of Chasing Doctor Dolittle: Learning the Language of Animals, told ABC News. Cucumber is similar to a snake enough to trigger a cat's instinctive fear of snakes. ”
Sudden onset :
Another opinion says that the sudden appearance of cucumbers is what scares the cat, and this is like taking someone by surprise by sneaking behind them, said Mikel Delgado, a certified cat behavior expert who has studied animal behavior and the relationships between humans and pets, for a PhD at the University of California. American.
Delgado tells Mental Floss that having videos of other fruits and vegetables that scare cats - including apples and bananas - is a possibility confirming this theory.
Jill Goldman, a certified animal behavior expert in Southern California, explained that the choice elicits natural feline responses to surprise. She added, "Through a sudden response, the cat often tries to get out of there as quickly as possible, and then reassesses the danger from a distance."
Although the videos showing cats are afraid of cucumbers, and other fruits are amusing, experts do not recommend trying any similar pranks at home with your pet. Because it is harmful to his health.
And the American National Geographic website stated that trying the matter may cause the cats themselves to hurt, break something, or hit the cat with nervous pressure for a long time.
Is cucumber just what scares cats ?
The answer is simply no, any sudden object that you enter into the cat's safety zone without realizing it, will frighten him because he sees it in his area for the first time. But the fruit of cucumber is the most terrifying cat because it thinks it is a snake! However, cats' reactions are similar to any unfamiliar toy or strange fruit that the cat has not seen before, and he will develop the same nervous state.
Therefore, if you want to give your cat a new toy, try to enter it into his world calmly and in sequence, and avoid surprising him with it all at once so that he does not become panicked and disgusted with it because cats are apprehensive of things unfamiliar to them, and see colors in a way that distinguishes them from humans as if they are color blind. Which may cause her to panic when seeing the green cucumber because she sees this color closer to gray.
Signs of a cat fear
Cat lovers and those keen to raise them at home are usually interested in knowing all the details of their new guest, and cats by nature are active animals that are fun and movement, and you can notice their harmony as soon as they come home.
On the contrary, there are some other signs that appear on the cat that indicate a feeling of fear or annoyance and anger, such as:
The cat's pupil widens in a noticeable way.
The body gets tense, and sometimes it begins to cramp and make strange behaviors and movements.
Begin blowing her tail.
Back arched and contracted by themselves.
The movement of a cat's ear and its direction is a sign of fear or anger of the cat.
Her stillness, unresponsiveness to play and fun with you, and her desire to hide or leave.
Ways to calm your fearful cat
Here is now the most important thing that you should do when any of the aforementioned symptoms appear on your cat, and this is to avoid increasing her fear or anger.
Stay away from the cat and leave it for some time
Many people may make a mistake in dealing with the cat when it is afraid and approach it in an attempt to contain it and feel at ease, and this is one of the common mistakes, as the cat at this particular time needs to remain alone, far from humans and the source of fear.
With direct approach and dealing with her or attempts to petting her, her fear may increase and begin to attack the person in an attempt to defend herself, so either she leaves her and observes her only from afar or sits near her, but without contacting her, until she calms down and begins to approach you gradually.
Create a safe place for the cat
The open places cause an innate fear for the cat, as it naturally tends to high or isolated places through which you can observe and see the place well, and in the need to see her fear and annoyance, you must allocate a suitable place for her to calm down and be able to get used to the place.
Set aside regular time to play with your cat
In a time of fear, avoid playing with your cat completely until it begins to get used to you and when it regains its normal state, then start devoting an hour every day to play with it, whether with the feather or the cat rope, and this with time makes it feel safe and give up its fear or feeling strange to the place.
Use some natural sedatives
Just as there are scents dedicated to calming a person and helping them to relax and feel safe, and the same is true for cats, there are some scents that help calm the cat and its sense of safety and get rid of fear, specifically essential oils such as lavender oil.
Just put some drops of lavender oil on a tissue and place it near your cat, but in a place where you cannot reach it so that it does not eat it and causes danger to it, and as soon as the cat smells the tissue, you will notice its calm quickly.
If you love cats, what do you think of those who intentionally frighten cats with a choice in order to shoot a funny cat! Share your opinion.
