Many of you probably have seen the videos of this new hilarious YouTube video trend of scaring cats with cucumbers. If you haven't yet gotten into the craze, here is an example of it.
The farmers' market would be a cat's worst nightmare. Many of you may be wondering why cats are so terrified of these vegetables, so I looked into the facts and science behind it to see why cats react the way they do.
Believe it or not, it's unhealthy for cats to be scared so badly. When cats are startled, they get stressed out. And a stressed cat is not a happy cat.
The overall effect of this trend depends on the cat. Some are more easily frightened than others. If your cat is already high-strung, this could cause them to be even more nervous, and could even cause deeper health problems. If your cat is pretty chill, they would probably be fine. All new things, such as new toys, pets, or people should be gradually introduced into a cat's environment.
For example, if you were to get a new pet, it would be a good idea to gradually introduce him or her to your current pet and let them warm up to each other, however long it takes. You wouldn't want them to have an ultimate showdown because they are unsure of their intentions or why either of them are there. When cats fly into the air with fright like they have springs on their paws, they could possibly injure themselves, or even break your favorite vase on accident (but knowing how some cats are, that may happen at some point anyway, but not on accident.)
Cats also may think the cucumbers are snakes. This could be a way to train your cat for the outdoors, especially if you have an indoor cat who doesn't know how to face predators and survive in the outside world. Cucumbers probably would not fight or threaten a cat, so this makes it a good way to teach the cat to not be afraid of snakes as well as other creatures that could scare a cat that are lurking in the shadows of your backyard. Some cats even swipe and paw at the cucumber, so this is a good way to condition them for the real fight. When they see that the cucumber won't fight back or hurt them, they will be less scared of real snakes, but would still know how to defend themselves just in case.
Once there was a snake in on my back porch, and my cat didn't fight it; they made friends. She was just gently patting the snake on its head. It was the most adorable thing ever. This shows that cats should not fear snakes. And they can work on overcoming this fear by being introduced to innocent cucumbers.
Depending on how you look at it, this could be a mean prank to play on your cat, or a way to train them for an intense outdoor battle. Overall, know your cat, and remember that it is important to keep everything in moderation. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to hide cucumbers all over your house. You don't want your cat to feel like they aren't safe from the vegetable in their own house! You want them to feel safe and at home, right? You want to assure them that home is not a cucumber minefield.
