What happens when you put a cucumber behind a cat?
Some felines couldn't care less about the vegetable intrusion, but
others leap high into the air when they see it. Videos of such
encounters are going viral this week, as people try to see how their own
pets respond.
But that’s not good for the animals, experts warn.
“If you cause stress to an animal that's probably not a good thing,” says Jill Goldman, a certified animal behaviorist in southern California. “If you do it for laughs it makes me question your humanity.”
Goldman explains that the cucumbers are triggering the cats’ natural
startle responses, since they “would not normally see cucumbers on the
floor.”
It’s also possible they may associate the green invader with snakes, which can be deadly predators, Goldman adds.
“With a startle response, a cat will often try to get out of there as
quickly as possible and then reassess from a distance,” says Goldman.
Hence the leaping cats in the videos.
The fact that the cucumbers are often placed near feeding stations in the videos confuses the cats because they often associate those areas with safety and security, adds Pam Johnson-Bennett, author of Think Like a Cat. "That's a cruel thing to do," she says.
Safe Play Time
Bringing new objects into the home can be a good source of mental
stimulation for pets, but it shouldn’t be done with the goal of freaking
them out, says Goldman. Trying to startle your cat on purpose
could cause them to injure themselves. break something, or lead to
prolonged stress. Instead, it’s best to introduce any novel items gradually.
“You wouldn’t want to meet someone new by having them shoved right in
your face,” she says. “You’d want to meet them from a safe distance,
such as a few arm lengths.” (Watch a video of cat hunting.)
The same is true with cats. It’s also true that each animal will
respond to situations uniquely, as do human beings. Some cats, like some
people, are more easily startled than others.
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