Viral videos have shown cats fleeing in fear or bouncing through the air at the sight of a cucumber.
Why cucumbers can scare off some cats is a horrifying question, but it’s no mystery to an expert.
“Cats are genetically wired by instinct to avoid snakes,” said Con Slobodchikoff, animal behaviorist and author of “Chasing Doctor Dolittle: Learning the Language of Animals.” “Cucumbers are snake-like enough that the cat’s instinctive fear of snakes kicks in.”
This instinctive fear of snakes can cause cats to panic, he added.
“If a cat sees something sliding on the ground, it will often jump a few feet in the air, a behavior that prevents it from being bitten by a snake,” Slobodchikoff said.
And it’s not just cucumbers that can cause this kind of hysteria in cats.
“Anything resembling a snake should produce the instinctual fear response,” Slobodchikoff said. “Cucumbers are more shaped like snakes, with their curved sides, than corn cobs or eggplants, so they produce a greater response.”
But don’t try to prank your cat with cucumber-shaped objects just yet. Scaring cats can have long-lasting effects on their mental health.
“Any time you scare an animal, you risk inflicting psychological damage, so the animal will be afraid not only of the cucumbers,” Slobchikoff said, “but also of the environment in which the cucumber was presented. to the animal”.
This instinctive fear of snakes can cause cats to panic, he added.
“If a cat sees something sliding on the ground, it will often jump a few feet in the air, a behavior that prevents it from being bitten by a snake,” Slobodchikoff said.
