Why Cats Fear Water: Unveiling the Mystery
One: Why Do Cats Fear Water?
1. Differences in Subjective Ideas
Let's start by addressing the difference in our subjective perceptions of bathing between humans and cats. Over thousands of years of evolution, human bathing has always been about immersion in water, whether it's a bath or a shower, focusing on complete wet coverage of the body. However, cats are different; their ancestors mostly lived in desert regions, rarely encountering large bodies of water. They maintain cleanliness through grooming with their tongues, which is sufficient for their needs. As cats were domesticated and raised by humans, we have imposed our own subjective ideas of bathing on them, believing that cats should be cleaned just like humans, requiring fullbody immersion to truly be clean. While this is true, imposing human subjective ideas on cats can be seen as an infringement on their natural genetic makeup, leading to their natural aversion and dislike.
2. Cats Don't Fear Water – They Just Don't Like It!
It's more accurate to say that cats dislike water rather than fear it. Why? A cat's fur is its coat to retain body heat, and once it gets wet, the fur absorbs water, becoming heavy and the evaporation of the water can also carry away the cat's body heat. This is a burden for a delicate and agile kitten. Imagine wearing a wet sweater all over; now, multiply that by the weight of a fur coat. The impact of wet fur on cats is significant, and I believe this is why they tend to dislike baths!
3. Do All Cats Dislike Water?
Not everything in the world is an exception. While cats living in deserts may dislike and fear water, it doesn't mean that cats living in humid regions share the same sentiment. For instance, the Van cat, a breed that has lived around Lake Van in Turkey, enjoys a cool bath in the lakes during the hot summer months. And let's not forget our big cats, tigers, who are also fond of playing and swimming in rivers.
Two: Why Do Cats Like to Sit at the Door When Their Owners Are Bathing?
One explanation is that cats, fearing water, may believe that if they love their owners, their owners must also fear water. Therefore, their behavior of sitting at the door, waiting and even calling out, is an expression of their concern – a testament to their love. However, once the owner emerges from the bath unharmed, the cat usually calms down.
By now, we understand that both humans and cats have things they don't like. To change this, we should do so based on their comfort levels, or more often, through desensitization training that progresses gradually. Force can often have the opposite effect. If cats dislike baths, there are alternative methods, such as using wet towels or wipes to clean them, providing extra moisture that cats can naturally lick off. However, with increased grooming, the use of cat grass and hairball remedies should also be increased accordingly.
Here's a little trick: if you don't want your cat to disturb you, use a wet wipe to clean its fur. It might stop and start grooming itself!
