It can occur straight away. Your feline pal walks your bathtub like a stability beam, curious what you’re doing behind the bathe curtain. Then, a paw slips. They fall in. Water goes all over the place. You’re surprised. They’re horrified. And, as shortly as they fell in, they zoomed away.
Cats and water simply don’t combine—that’s the prevailing narrative. And but, some cats appear to like water. Just poke round on YouTube, Instagram, TikTook, or the extra specialised subgenre of the platform, #CatTook, and also you’re certain to seek out some water-loving felines having fun with a bathe or swim. So what offers?
“In general, most cats are averse” to water, says Kristyn Vitale, an animal behaviorist at Maueyes Cat Science and Education. “But I think it’s just like anything else, like with people as well, that a blanket statement never applies to every individual.” To uncover the explanation most cats aren’t water followers, we’ve got to have a look at our furry buddies’ evolution, upbringing, and biology for solutions that stretch 1000’s of years into the previous.
First, blame evolution
In some ways, cats haven’t modified a lot in 10,000 years of domestication. Unlike canine, our feline companions “haven’t really been selectively bred as much. So their predatory motor pattern is basically still intact,” says Vitale. “A lot of their behavior is going to be very [similar to] their wild ancestor.”
That ancestor is the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica). Clocking in between six and 18 kilos, the African wildcat appears just about the identical as a big, tabby housecat—and like a tabby housecat, this wildcat isn’t into water both.
“African wildcats are typically going to be hunting on land and hunting terrestrial animals. So they didn’t really develop a lot of behaviors to be in the water or hunting around water,” says Vitale. They are, and at all times have been, land animals—particularly arid land animals.
African wildcats primarily dwell in deserts and savannas. When they had been first being domesticated some 10,000 years in the past, they referred to as the dry plains of the Fertile Crescent, a big swath of the Middle East that stretched from northern Egypt to Iran, house. So it is sensible that their trendy descendants aren’t hopping into swimming pools with a lot gusto.
A cat’s upbringing additionally performs a task
But evolution is just a part of the equation. How cats are raised additionally performs an essential position in why some, if not most, of our feline buddies are apprehensive about water.
“If you think about dogs, a lot of pet owners will take their dog to the beach or their dogs are going to be getting baths more often. So from an early age, dogs are learning about water and hopefully that water isn’t something scary,” says Vitale. “But as cat owners, we don’t really do that.”
Most home home cats aren’t uncovered to water as typically as their canine counterparts. Some cats could even develop a concern of water if, say, they’re falling into your bathe by accident or getting a shower after getting sprayed by a skunk. Unpleasant experiences like these could flip off cats much more from getting moist, says Vitale.
On the opposite hand, in case your cat has constructive experiences with water, they might begin to search it out. In extra excessive situations, possibly they’ll even be part of you for a bathe. May I introduce you to Pym the Shower Cat.
You shouldn’t bathe your cat
To be clear, it’s often finest to not bathe your cat. Most cats self-clean, utilizing their coarse tongues to groom themselves or each other. “Bathing them might cause issues because you’re potentially masking the cat’s scent,” says Vitale, particularly in the event you use a scented shampoo or cleaning soap. “Cats feel safe and secure when they can smell themselves. And if you’re masking their scent, that can cause stress and anxiety,” says Vitale. It’s unhealthy information in case your furry pal begins associating water with being stripped of their pure scent.
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There’s additionally the potential that getting moist could throw off a cat’s stability. For occasion, whiskers play an important position in how cats interpret the world round them. They present details about their atmosphere and easy methods to navigate it. “It’s very possible getting wet might hinder [whiskers’] ability to pick up on vibrations and sensations,” says Vitale.
That mentioned, Vitale says there’s no want to fret in case your cat enjoys a splash within the tub or a fast rinse. “It’s just like people, you know, some people love to go swimming and some are definitely afraid of water. It’s the same kind of individuality we see in cats.” So, don’t fear, Pym the Shower Cat is doing simply superb.
Introducing water slowly may be helpful
In basic, you wish to keep away from forcing your cat to work together with water. That will solely result in an affiliation with water and adverse experiences. Instead, Vitale suggests introducing your cat to water slowly, particularly you probably have a kitten or younger cat who could not but see water as an enemy. One of one of the best methods to introduce water to cats is to get them a fountain, that approach “they can kind of test the water out themselves,” says Vitale. “They can put their paw in. They can put their tail in.” It’s on their phrases.
You also can discover alternatives to introduce water to actions your cat already enjoys, like pets. Next time your cat jumps close to a sink, “turn on the faucet for them and maybe just sprinkle a little bit of water [on them] or get your hand wet and pet them with your wet hands to start, and see how they react,” says Vitale.
“If they really freak out about it, then maybe, you know, back off and go even slower. But a lot of times just those gradual introductions to water can really help them like realize that, ‘Hey, water’s not something to fear.’”
This story is a part of Popular Science’s Ask Us Anything sequence, the place we reply your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the atypical to the off-the-wall. Have one thing you’ve at all times wished to know? Ask us.
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