Cats and cucumbers seem to go together like water and oil: they don’t mix. Many of us have seen the videos of cats reacting in various ways when confronted with a cucumber, from hissing and running away to jumping up into the air and then darting around the room.
There are a number of theories to explain this strange phenomenon about a cucumber that scares cats; perhaps the cucumber resembles a snake or other predator, or maybe cats simply mistake it for something that will harm them. One suggestion is that cats dislike the cool sensation of cucumbers on their sensitive whiskers, causing them to react in an attempt to remove the object.
Despite its popularity online, the idea that cats are frightened of cucumbers is considered by many to be nothing more than an old wives’ tale. According to animal behaviorist Dr.Roger Mugford, “I think putting out a cucumber where a cat can see it is just asking for trouble.” He suggested that cats may be actually scared of the reflection in the mirror rather than the cucumber itself. In defense of the theory, one person said that when they put a mirror in front of their cats’ litter box, the cat defecated on it and urinated on it.
Nonetheless, the cucumber theory still makes its rounds in cyberspace. One example of this is a video uploaded by YouTuber “I Hate Everything” on August 7th, 2010 titled: Cucumbers Scaring Cats Compilation. It has amassed over 13 million views and features several videos and pictures of cats reacting with fear to cucumbers.
The most popular of these videos were uploaded by YouTube user “tabbiecat14” on May 13th, 2010, and has garnered over 41 million hits: Cat playing with cucumber then gets scared.
There are several reasons that cats might be frightened or acting with the extreme reaction of cucumbers and other cylindrical objects, such as bottles or even fishing poles. Cats are naturally suspicious of things that resemble snakes or other predators, but this doesn’t explain why they might mistake cucumbers for these animals. It is possible that cats simply do not like the feeling of cucumbers along with their whiskers since it makes them feel vulnerable to hidden threats. There are also theories that cats dislike cucumbers due to the cool temperature of the fruit or cucumber’s “slick” surface, but this is largely speculation.
Are cucumbers toxic to cats?
Cucumbers aren’t toxic to a cat, but it might be safer to keep them away from your feline friends. On rare occasions, cucumbers and other vegetables and fruits containing similar toxins (namely Lilies) may cause vomiting and diarrhea in pets. If your cat does eat cucumber or any other fruit or vegetable on the “toxic” list, contact your veterinarian immediately.
After all, there’s something about that sudden appearance of something that may look like a snake (cat known by their hunt snakes skills) and for me, as a cat lover, I feel it is a cruel thing to do to your cat just cat some laugh from it or for a prank.
