Caution – When Your Cat Gets Really Scared!

It may look funny to people at first when cats get scared. But for the animals, it is anything but pleasant. So, for example, before you try the YouTube trend of scaring your cat with a cucumber, you should consider that the stress is not good for the animal.

When Cats get Scared

When cats are frightened, their blood pressure skyrockets, their heartbeat suddenly quickens, and their muscle activity increases. This is also how people react when they are frightened, but cats are far more sensitive. Therefore, spare your pet such stress if possible.

Why Cats are Frightened by Cucumbers

Since videos of cats frightened by cucumbers have been making the rounds on the Internet, many cat owners have been asking themselves what the velvet paws find so scary about the vegetable.

Partly it was assumed that the animals thought the cucumbers were snakes because they have a similar shape. However, pet experts assume that cats are frightened by cucumbers because they are unfamiliar objects they do not expect to find near their food bowls.

It is, therefore, a surprise effect combined with an object foreign to the cats. As often assumed, whether the cat confuses the cucumber with a dangerous snake is somewhat far-fetched.

So it’s not so much the cucumber itself that frightens cats, but rather the unexpected. However, how strong the startle reaction varies from cat to cat. Some fur noses also react relatively calmly to the vegetable if it lies suddenly beside their bowl.

Scare in Cats Leads to a Stress Reaction

The sight of the unexpected leads to an immediate flight reaction in the cat. As a result, blood pressure and heart rate increase rapidly, and intestinal and muscle activity increase. This is very stressful for your cat, who needs rest after eating to digest the food properly.

It can also happen that after such an unpleasant experience, cats associate the fright with their feeding place or the place where they got the fright. As a result, it is possible that they no longer feel comfortable and safe in this place. In the worst case, they may even develop an anxiety disorder or behavioral disorders.