You may have seen the phenomena sweeping YouTube: videos of cats scared by cucumbers. It may seem harmless and hilarious but animal experts share another story.
Experts warn that scaring your pets and causing them stress is probably not a good idea. Many are frustrated that the videos have become trendy and incite people to scare their pets for a laugh. Experts and pet-lovers alike call the cucumber trick, mean spirited, cruel, and lacking humanity.
The reason cats are scared is because they would not typically see the cucumber on a floor, and a surprise object triggers their natural startled response. Some experts suggest that cats may also associate green with snakes, which are threatening predators. In addition, the cucumbers are often placed near feeding areas, a space cats consider a safety zone. The cats jump in reaction, assuming cucumbers are threatening.
Bringing new objects into your cat’s environment can be good mental stimulation, but your objective shouldn’t be to scare them. Experts suggest introducing items slowly or gradually over time. This is, of course, dependent on your cat’s personality and nature. Each cat reacts differently and should be treated as such.
The moral of the day is to keep cucumbers, or any other surprise object, away from your cat. Surprising and scaring your cat is not ideal to their psyche, could cause them to injure themselves, or lead to stress.