Don't scare cats with cucumbers -- experts

By ALMA J. BUELVA

A FRIEND sent me a video link of cats getting startled by cucumbers and asked: “Are cats really scared of cucumbers?” I said “No!”, as swift as a cat scampering away from a, well, cucumber?

​With the recent deluge of Internet videos showing unsuspecting cats getting startled and scared by cucumbers that people secretly placed behind them, animal behaviorists are now asking cat owners to not pull this kind of mean joke on cats anymore as it endangers the animal's  well-being.

CATS VS. CUCUMBERS. Experts say people should not frighten cats by placing a cucumber or any object behind them as it can cause some physical and emotional stress to the animal .(Photo from Pinterest)

Getting cats scared this way usually become severely stressed and experts warn that it could create a more permanent psychological problem.

It's not the cucumber per se that scares the cats, but the element of surprise. Even people could get scared at anything and everything that happens to creep up from behind them. 

The videos usually show cats getting surprised by cucumbers when and where they are eating. There is a chance a cat will no longer want to visit its food area if a “cucumber apparition” happened there because cats like to eat where they feel safe and in peace. 

Aside from the emotional trauma, the sudden surprise can also get cats hurt as they uncontrollably leap through the air and run mad, sometimes colliding with furniture and doors. 

The prank is quite mean and no self-proclaimed cat lover should put a cat through such a fur-raising experience. 

​If you want to introduce a cat to a cucumber, make it part of its diet or make it a spa-treatment as shown in this photo:

Probably the only cool way to use cucumbers on a cat. (Photo from Pinterest)