Even if it seems slightly funny, it is actually cruel to scare cats with cucumbers. Animal experts are warning pet owners after a new craze has gone viral on social media platforms where pet owners try to see how their own pets respond when a cucumber is placed behind the unsuspecting creature.
Some felines couldn’t care less about the vegetables intrusion, but others leap high into the air when they see it.
But some experts are warning that it’s not good for the animals.
“If you cause stress to an animal that’s probably not a good thing,” says Jill Goldman, a certified animal behaviorist in southern California. “If you do it for laughs it makes me question your humanity.”
John Bradshaw, a cat-behavior expert at the University of Bristol and the author of the book Cat Sense, agrees, saying that the videos are “despicable” and they are “an incitement for people to scare their cats and then invite people to laugh at them.”
Goldman explains that the cucumbers are triggering the cats’ natural startle responses, since they “would not normally see cucumbers on the floor.” He also think it’s possible they may associate the green invader with snakes, which can be deadly predators.
“With a startle response, a cat will often try to get out of there as quickly as possible and then reassess from a distance,”
Of course it can also be dangerous if the cat hurts itself or someone else whilst trying to make its escape, or it could suffer heart failure or go into shock.
Read: Researchers Conclude: Cats Are Jerks!!!
Death by cucumber is not funny at all.
Please do not laugh at the attached video.
