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Stop Scaring Cats With Cucumbers, Unless You Genuinely Want A Hefty Vet Bill

By Toni Matthews
Published on: 03:21 PST, Nov 21, 2015

The “scaring cats with cucumbers” trend was destined to take off. First, the videos involve cats, which are the most viewed and “meme-worthy” animals. Second, the videos become popular almost instantly; and, if you’re an attention-seeking individual who wants to amass a lot of views quickly by scaring your cat, it seems like a win-win situation.

Except, it isn’t.

Since these videos began popping up on YouTube about a week ago, experts have quickly spoken out, asking YouTubers and viewers at home to stop scaring their pets with cucumbers. According to IFL Science, there’s a reason why cats freak out when they turn around and a wild cucumber appears.

“Cats are shown to be suspicious of anything that moves rapidly, makes a lot of noise, or lights up erratically: essentially, anything that they don’t fully understand, which isn’t really that different from most animals, including humans.

“It’s also worth noting that cats are mostly solitary animals, and humans are as sociable as animals can be – so they’re baffled enough by us as it is. Freaking them out with unexpected cucumbers probably isn’t helping.”

Not only is this “hilarious prank” not helping cats with their everyday lives, it may be extremely dangerous to a cat’s overall health. According to National Geographic, trying to scare a cat with cucumbers could lead to a situation where they severely injure themselves and have to go to the vet. They could also injure the person wielding the cucumber, leading to a trip to the hospital emergency room and an awkward conversation with the ER staff. The fleeing cats may also break things. It’s possible they may even develop “prolonged stress” over being repeatedly scared with cucumbers.

It may be hard for cat owners to understand how the cat feels since most people know it’s just a harmless cucumber. You also understand the nature of a prank. But, cats and other animals do not because they’re not human. The consequences of pet owners attempting to personify their animals, in this case through “scare pranks,” include the potential to cause severe, lasting damage to their relationship with their pets. Your human buddies know you’re kidding; but, your cat may come to associate you with harm and danger.

Jill Goldman, a certified animal behaviorist in California, agrees that it’s best to stop scaring cats with cucumbers for the sake of their physical and emotional health.

“If you cause stress to an animal that’s probably not a good thing. If you do [scare cats] for laughs it makes me question your humanity.”

It may actually be a better idea to question the sanity of any person who enjoys this bully-like behavior.

There’s a difference between a person who thinks random cat behaviors are funny and the person who enjoys emotionally and physically harming animals. People who delight in tormenting cats and other animals might be sadists, or at worst, psychopaths. Zoosadism is a term for people who, “derive pleasure from animal cruelty.”

While the Internet enjoys cats for the sake of cats, sometimes it’s best to question people who enjoy cats for the sake of seeing them distressed or in pain. It could be a warning sign of a larger problem.

Does scaring cats with cucumbers automatically make someone a deranged psychopath? Well, no. It doesn’t hurt to check your motivations. In any case, experts agree it’s important to stop scaring cats with cucumbers. It’s bad for their health and bad for the pet/pet owner relationship. Those wanting to introduce cats to cucumbers, or other novelty items, do so gradually. Give your cats a chance to know cucumbers on their own terms. It might turn out to be an inexpensive cat toy.

Have you seen the “scaring cats with cucumbers” prank videos? What do you think of them? Comment below.

[Image Via Screen Grab From Brent Czapp on Youtube]

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