Good Lifestyle

There is a confusing phobia that seems to have run onThe cat community In recent years, feline fear of cucumbers. Look for YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Vimeo or literally any place where videos live on the internet and you will be bombarded by countless cats that, when faced with cucumbers, act as if it has just seen a ghost.

Of course, cats are easily frightened by more than a few points: strong sounds, sudden movements, even their own tails. But there is nothing terrifying in a conceivable way about a piece of inanimate green product, even for a creature notoriously skittish. This raises the following question: Why?

Why are cats afraid of cucumbers?

Well, according toGary Richter, a veterinary health expert withVagabondThis phobia has nothing to do with the exstable purpose of a cucumber and whether your cat is personally opposed to the ingredients of crunch salad or not. No, everything falls to simple Darwinism.

"A very real possibility [As for the reasons why cats are afraid of cucumbers] is a phenomenon called" biological preparation ". Biologically prepared behavior is that an animal is wired:" says Richter. "For example, many people have aInnate fear of snakes and / or spiders. The vast majority of people have never been injured by snakes or spiders, but just like the same thing, fear exists. We can say the same thing for the fear of heights. Something in us triggers a fear response when we see - or even think about these things. With regard to cats and cucumbers, the form may trigger an answer that would be more appropriate for a snake. "

Although Richter easily admits that this theory has not been scientifically proven, it says it is not different from the response of humans of the response to unusual visual stimuli. "Have you ever seen something out of the corner of your eye and thought it was a spider and your heart jumped a beating?" he asks. "Maybe the same thing happens with cats when they see a vaguely snake-shaped object suddenly appear behind them. Add that cats are classically neophobic - fear of new things - and are often disturbed by some something new or unexpected, and we can start understanding what's going on here. "

If you try to make your own Kitty-Vs-Veggie video?

Whatever the reasoning that can be behind the fear of Cats' cucumbers, it's a fear of the same fear. And if you care aboutyour cat, Or animals in general, perhaps make a conscious effort to scare them for your own fun is not the best idea.

"People who form these videos are intentionally frightening an animal without a mistrust," says Richter. "Unlike a practical joke played on a person where the" victim "understands what happened and I hope there afterwards, the cat stays in the dark".

And just because your cat can look like a vicious beast when attacking a mouse, a spider or their shadow does not mean that they should be treated as an apex predator by their human trust.

"Cats are predators, but they are also prey," says the veterinarianBaby Liz, founder ofDoc & Phoebe's Cat Co. "To be safe from damage, they constantly screamed their environment for the danger. In cucumber videos, you will notice that the offended vegetables and vegetables are placed in the chat environment while it is distracted by the food , or another stimulus. When the cat turns around and a big object is there that was not there are seconds, it is surprised and sometimes terrible terrible. For some, it's funny. I think it's is nasty. "

Although you can always be eager to discover a response to this perplexed problem via your own non-so-scientific methods, wearing rhythm that this can negatively affect your cat-and your relationship with him-for real.

"They have no idea what has just happened and undergo very real and potential stress levelsSignificant behavioral changesAs a result, "he says". Veterinarians see many animals every day that have behavior problems arising from traumatic events. It is certainly not necessary to define these express trauma. Intentionally traumatic an animal-physically or emotionally - for entertainment is simply wrong. And for scientific taking on a secular animal debate, discover Are cats actually smarter than dogs? This is what science has to say .