Why are cats afraid of water?
Question:
We have four cats here…they’re all curious about water. The last time I took a bath I had an audience. They all wanted to see what "Mom" was doing *sitting* in the bathtub *filled with water*! 
M
Response:
> I Was wondering if maybe one of the reasons so many cats hate water is > because we train them to hate it.. We spray them with a water bottle when > they are bad.. So why would they like water?
It doesn’t always work that way. We spray Olivia with water from a water pistol if she does something bad (eg rowring the furniture), but that doesn’t stop her jumping in the shower the instant the last human is out, so she can play in the wet shower tray! Miche Miche Campbell <*> Captain of the Starship Yentaprise These are not necessarily the opinions of the University of Otago You say Chaos like it’s a *bad* thing! "Beer is furrowed." – Nigel Barley, _The Innocent Anthropologist_
Response:
I Was wondering if maybe one of the reasons so many cats hate water is because we train them to hate it.. We spray them with a water bottle when they are bad.. So why would they like water?
Response:
Of course not all cats are the same. My current owner, a three year old former stray, hates water so much, she even refuses to drink it. When I was a youngster, we had a cat that loved water so much that I had to make sure the bathroom door was tightly shut, if not, I would be sharing a bath with the cat. Bob Mathias
Response:
Annabelle, a calico barn cat, used to go swimming in the Charles River (MA). When she was elderly, she got a green splint fracture and the vet had to take her cast off earlier than he’d planned because she went swimming with it on. None of her kittens took after their mother. My current cat, Isabella, (11 years old) likes water. In a previous home, she used to go into the shower after I showered, and roll around in the water. I have to give her a large, very stable water dish, because she uses it like a bird bath, goes in with her front paws and splashes about. She came from a shelter at 4 weeks old, with a terrible flea infestation, and I had to give her lots of flea baths, but I don’t know whether this has anything to do with it. — Meg – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Not ALL types of cats are afraid of water. In fact, the Turkey Van or > Van Lake is noted for its love of water. They enjoy swimming and playing > in it whenever the opportunity arises. If they are watching with a > measure of caution from a distance, it is often attributed to their > instinctive curiousity for activity and sounds.
Response:
The same thing is said for Abyssinians. Hanneluja *Don’t get even, get everything*
Response:
I Was wondering if maybe one of the reasons soo many cats hate water is because we train them to hate it.. We spray them with a water bottle when they are bad.. So why would they like water?
Response:
my cats are both fascinated when i’m taking a shower..but…they only watch from a distance, and wouldn’t dare to get into the shower cubicle. they hate getting wet. i once had to clean max’s paws…he was so afraid and struggeling that i had to wrap him in a bath towel to wash his feet…he absolutely hated it. same with ironing. i use a spray bottle to moisten the clothes…every time i get out the ironing board max dashes away because he thinks he is going to get wet. hellbelle – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower >will send them running to the opposite side of the house. >Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > my cats are both fascinated when i’m taking a shower..but…they only > watch from a distance, and wouldn’t dare to get into the shower cubicle. > they hate getting wet. i once had to clean max’s paws…he was so afraid > and struggeling that i had to wrap him in a bath towel to wash his > feet…he absolutely hated it. same with ironing. i use a spray bottle to > moisten the clothes…every time i get out the ironing board max dashes > away because he thinks he is going to get wet. > hellbelle >Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower >will send them running to the opposite side of the house. >Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
Not ALL types of cats are afraid of water. In fact, the Turkey Van or Van Lake is noted for its love of water. They enjoy swimming and playing in it whenever the opportunity arises. If they are watching with a measure of caution from a distance, it is often attributed to their instinctive curiousity for activity and sounds.
Response:
Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower will send them running to the opposite side of the house. Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate water? Tim
Response:
When we picked up our cat we gave her a flee bath and she didn’t mind it at all. Is there something with the way they are raised as babies that make a difference? Tim H wrote in article … – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower >will send them running to the opposite side of the house. >Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
Response:
Tigers are the only cats who are known to love water. Gabriele Tim H schrieb: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or > shower > will send them running to the opposite side of the house. > Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively > hate > water? > Tim
Response:
> Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower > will send them running to the opposite side of the house. > Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate > water? > Tim
– The best explanation I have gotten for most cats disliking getting wet is that they spend a lot of time grooming and adjusting their coat for best fur performance as an insulator. Getting wet means they have to take a longer time and redo everything, especially irritating if there is a breeze or such, as the insulation has gone when the coat is wet. Cats are basically lazy (or call it energy conservation, in the metabolic sense), they do not like adding work to their schedule. — This has been Mark and/or Mary Shannon History manages to get away with cliches no novelist could.
Response:
Our 1 year old Angora, Bart Simpson, loves the shower. He will stand in the shower while it is steamy, in the mist, and clean himself. He stays in the tub until the water encircles him and his huge tail. He loves to drink out of the tap, and will stand in the sink. Our Maine Coon wannabe sleeps in the sink and comes running when there is water dripping out of the faucets. We thought our two little cats would hate water – but they have learned that the sink is the best way to answer nature’s call for running water. Still, no one likes a bath….
Response:
I don’t think cats are so instinctively afraid of water as they are of water PRESSURE. Example: my cat likes to drink from the bathtub faucet, dipping her paws in the tub bottom and getting her feet wet, but if I turn on the shower or squirt her with a squirt gun when she’s doing something inappropriate, she’ll dart away. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
Response:
> Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower > will send them running to the opposite side of the house. > Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate > water?
They aren’t instinctively afraid of water. Some cats _love_ water and are fascinated by it. My Olivia runs for the shower after the humans get out so she can play with the water in the shower tray. Sometimes she comes in the shower with us! One breed of cats, the Turkish Van, loves to swim. I’ve been told (though I don’t know if it’s true) that Turkish Van cats actually suffer psychologically if they are kept in a place where they can’t regularly go swimming. Did your kitties maybe have a horrible experience with water when they were younger? This might make them scared of it. Miche Miche Campbell <*> Captain of the Starship Yentaprise These are not necessarily the opinions of the University of Otago You say Chaos like it’s a *bad* thing! "Beer is furrowed." – Nigel Barley, _The Innocent Anthropologist_
Response:
My idea I thought up was that water makes a lot of noise when it splashes about. Cats’ ears are much more sensitive than ours, so all that noise disturbs them greatly. I imagine it sort of as raising your voice to a cat, it knows there’s trouble. Bri
Response:
>>Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower >will send them running to the opposite side of the house. >Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
Not all cats fear water. My Shadesong loves it! While I’m running the shower to get it warm, she’ll walk in the shower stall and get a drink. She also is fascinated by a full bathtub — to the point that she fell in once! Kathie
Response:
Could temperature be a factor? Our Pepper has a very small frame and is slender ( just under 9 lbs). I do not have to bathe her often, but I’ve noticed that when I get the water at a temp that I think would be nice, she is spastic. When I get the temp *very very* warm (the temp we would like to nurse sore muscles) she calms down. Not enjoying it, but calm. Peg
Response:
I remember reading an explanation of why cats don’t like water in a book by either by Dr Desmond Morris or by ? Attenborough (sp?). It goes something like "cats groom themselves with saliva which in their case is a natural deodorizer but only if kept dry. If a cat gets wet it will start to smell, this put the cat at a disadvantage when hunting and increases its risk of predation." The only cat that likes the water is the tiger, its hunting technique probably accounts for any smell, and as for being hunted – man is about the only predator that they have worry about and our sense of smell is not a factor". It is also interesting that some of you have cats that love water, like the tiger. In some behavioral studies that were done recently (I can not remember the source) it was found that the domestic cat behaves in a manner that is very similar to that of the Bengal tiger. The major differences were in group behaviors. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower >will send them running to the opposite side of the house. >Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
Response:
> The only cat that likes the water is the tiger, its hunting > technique probably accounts for any smell, and as for being hunted – man is > about the only predator that they have worry about and our sense of smell is > not a factor".
That is not true. Turkish Van cats also love the water, and are very good swimmers. Miche Miche Campbell <*> Captain of the Starship Yentaprise These are not necessarily the opinions of the University of Otago You say Chaos like it’s a *bad* thing! "Beer is furrowed." – Nigel Barley, _The Innocent Anthropologist_
Response:
>Tigers are the only cats who are known to love water. >Gabriele
Untrue; Turkish Vans also purportedly love water. I’ve never owned one, but one of my cat books shows them swimming and playing in water.. (remove ‘nospam’ and correct aol spelling to send email) oh, and delete the m in the first name too.
Response:
I stand corrected on the details, but the principle still applies. John A >Twice I have seen this answer about only Tigers (in the feline family) >liking water; this is not true. At least not according to the !!!!snip >America, especially somewhere on the Amazon. Jaguars love water, bath
!!!!snip
Response:
>> The only cat that likes the water is the tiger, its hunting > technique probably accounts for any smell, and as for being hunted – man is > about the only predator that they have worry about and our sense of smell is > not a factor". >That is not true. Turkish Van cats also love the water, and are very >good swimmers. >Miche
I read somewhere – long ago – that it is because it gets their underfur wet. When the underfur gets wet, it loses its insulating qualities so they have to walk around in this cold,clammy fur coat until it dries (compare it with having to put on wet thermal knits). I personally think it is because they know that when thoroughly wet they bear an uncanny resemblence to drowned rats…….And you know how finickily they can be about their personal appearance. (^: If you insist on being grouchy or nasty, there will be a $10 surcharge for putting up with you. http://www.dc.net/tscalfjr/default.html
Response:
Mine sure doesn’t–he likes to hang out in the bathtub, drink from running taps, paddle at his water dish, waits for me when I’m in the shower… Doris and Saminator, the water baby — Doris Ostendorf http://qlink.queensu.ca/~3do5/ All commercial email will be deleted unread and a complaint filed with the postmaster of origin. "Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you." C.G. Jung
Response:
We have four cats here…they’re all curious about water. The last time I took a bath I had an audience. They all wanted to see what "Mom" was doing *sitting* in the bathtub *filled with water*! M
Response:
> I Was wondering if maybe one of the reasons so many cats hate water is > because we train them to hate it.. We spray them with a water bottle when > they are bad.. So why would they like water?
It doesn’t always work that way. We spray Olivia with water from a water pistol if she does something bad (eg rowring the furniture), but that doesn’t stop her jumping in the shower the instant the last human is out, so she can play in the wet shower tray! Miche Miche Campbell <*> Captain of the Starship Yentaprise These are not necessarily the opinions of the University of Otago You say Chaos like it’s a *bad* thing! "Beer is furrowed." – Nigel Barley, _The Innocent Anthropologist_
Response:
I Was wondering if maybe one of the reasons so many cats hate water is because we train them to hate it.. We spray them with a water bottle when they are bad.. So why would they like water?
Response:
Of course not all cats are the same. My current owner, a three year old former stray, hates water so much, she even refuses to drink it. When I was a youngster, we had a cat that loved water so much that I had to make sure the bathroom door was tightly shut, if not, I would be sharing a bath with the cat. Bob Mathias
Response:
Annabelle, a calico barn cat, used to go swimming in the Charles River (MA). When she was elderly, she got a green splint fracture and the vet had to take her cast off earlier than he’d planned because she went swimming with it on. None of her kittens took after their mother. My current cat, Isabella, (11 years old) likes water. In a previous home, she used to go into the shower after I showered, and roll around in the water. I have to give her a large, very stable water dish, because she uses it like a bird bath, goes in with her front paws and splashes about. She came from a shelter at 4 weeks old, with a terrible flea infestation, and I had to give her lots of flea baths, but I don’t know whether this has anything to do with it. — Meg – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Not ALL types of cats are afraid of water. In fact, the Turkey Van or > Van Lake is noted for its love of water. They enjoy swimming and playing > in it whenever the opportunity arises. If they are watching with a > measure of caution from a distance, it is often attributed to their > instinctive curiousity for activity and sounds.
Response:
The same thing is said for Abyssinians. Hanneluja *Don’t get even, get everything*
Response:
I Was wondering if maybe one of the reasons soo many cats hate water is because we train them to hate it.. We spray them with a water bottle when they are bad.. So why would they like water?
Response:
my cats are both fascinated when i’m taking a shower..but…they only watch from a distance, and wouldn’t dare to get into the shower cubicle. they hate getting wet. i once had to clean max’s paws…he was so afraid and struggeling that i had to wrap him in a bath towel to wash his feet…he absolutely hated it. same with ironing. i use a spray bottle to moisten the clothes…every time i get out the ironing board max dashes away because he thinks he is going to get wet. hellbelle – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower >will send them running to the opposite side of the house. >Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > my cats are both fascinated when i’m taking a shower..but…they only > watch from a distance, and wouldn’t dare to get into the shower cubicle. > they hate getting wet. i once had to clean max’s paws…he was so afraid > and struggeling that i had to wrap him in a bath towel to wash his > feet…he absolutely hated it. same with ironing. i use a spray bottle to > moisten the clothes…every time i get out the ironing board max dashes > away because he thinks he is going to get wet. > hellbelle >Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower >will send them running to the opposite side of the house. >Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
Not ALL types of cats are afraid of water. In fact, the Turkey Van or Van Lake is noted for its love of water. They enjoy swimming and playing in it whenever the opportunity arises. If they are watching with a measure of caution from a distance, it is often attributed to their instinctive curiousity for activity and sounds.
Response:
Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower will send them running to the opposite side of the house. Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate water? Tim
Response:
When we picked up our cat we gave her a flee bath and she didn’t mind it at all. Is there something with the way they are raised as babies that make a difference? Tim H wrote in article … – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower >will send them running to the opposite side of the house. >Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
Response:
Tigers are the only cats who are known to love water. Gabriele Tim H schrieb: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or > shower > will send them running to the opposite side of the house. > Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively > hate > water? > Tim
Response:
> Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower > will send them running to the opposite side of the house. > Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate > water? > Tim
– The best explanation I have gotten for most cats disliking getting wet is that they spend a lot of time grooming and adjusting their coat for best fur performance as an insulator. Getting wet means they have to take a longer time and redo everything, especially irritating if there is a breeze or such, as the insulation has gone when the coat is wet. Cats are basically lazy (or call it energy conservation, in the metabolic sense), they do not like adding work to their schedule. — This has been Mark and/or Mary Shannon History manages to get away with cliches no novelist could.
Response:
Our 1 year old Angora, Bart Simpson, loves the shower. He will stand in the shower while it is steamy, in the mist, and clean himself. He stays in the tub until the water encircles him and his huge tail. He loves to drink out of the tap, and will stand in the sink. Our Maine Coon wannabe sleeps in the sink and comes running when there is water dripping out of the faucets. We thought our two little cats would hate water – but they have learned that the sink is the best way to answer nature’s call for running water. Still, no one likes a bath….
Response:
I don’t think cats are so instinctively afraid of water as they are of water PRESSURE. Example: my cat likes to drink from the bathtub faucet, dipping her paws in the tub bottom and getting her feet wet, but if I turn on the shower or squirt her with a squirt gun when she’s doing something inappropriate, she’ll dart away. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
Response:
> Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower > will send them running to the opposite side of the house. > Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate > water?
They aren’t instinctively afraid of water. Some cats _love_ water and are fascinated by it. My Olivia runs for the shower after the humans get out so she can play with the water in the shower tray. Sometimes she comes in the shower with us! One breed of cats, the Turkish Van, loves to swim. I’ve been told (though I don’t know if it’s true) that Turkish Van cats actually suffer psychologically if they are kept in a place where they can’t regularly go swimming. Did your kitties maybe have a horrible experience with water when they were younger? This might make them scared of it. Miche Miche Campbell <*> Captain of the Starship Yentaprise These are not necessarily the opinions of the University of Otago You say Chaos like it’s a *bad* thing! "Beer is furrowed." – Nigel Barley, _The Innocent Anthropologist_
Response:
My idea I thought up was that water makes a lot of noise when it splashes about. Cats’ ears are much more sensitive than ours, so all that noise disturbs them greatly. I imagine it sort of as raising your voice to a cat, it knows there’s trouble. Bri
Response:
>>Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower >will send them running to the opposite side of the house. >Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
Not all cats fear water. My Shadesong loves it! While I’m running the shower to get it warm, she’ll walk in the shower stall and get a drink. She also is fascinated by a full bathtub — to the point that she fell in once! Kathie
Response:
Could temperature be a factor? Our Pepper has a very small frame and is slender ( just under 9 lbs). I do not have to bathe her often, but I’ve noticed that when I get the water at a temp that I think would be nice, she is spastic. When I get the temp *very very* warm (the temp we would like to nurse sore muscles) she calms down. Not enjoying it, but calm. Peg
Response:
I remember reading an explanation of why cats don’t like water in a book by either by Dr Desmond Morris or by ? Attenborough (sp?). It goes something like "cats groom themselves with saliva which in their case is a natural deodorizer but only if kept dry. If a cat gets wet it will start to smell, this put the cat at a disadvantage when hunting and increases its risk of predation." The only cat that likes the water is the tiger, its hunting technique probably accounts for any smell, and as for being hunted – man is about the only predator that they have worry about and our sense of smell is not a factor". It is also interesting that some of you have cats that love water, like the tiger. In some behavioral studies that were done recently (I can not remember the source) it was found that the domestic cat behaves in a manner that is very similar to that of the Bengal tiger. The major differences were in group behaviors. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower >will send them running to the opposite side of the house. >Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
Response:
> The only cat that likes the water is the tiger, its hunting > technique probably accounts for any smell, and as for being hunted – man is > about the only predator that they have worry about and our sense of smell is > not a factor".
That is not true. Turkish Van cats also love the water, and are very good swimmers. Miche Miche Campbell <*> Captain of the Starship Yentaprise These are not necessarily the opinions of the University of Otago You say Chaos like it’s a *bad* thing! "Beer is furrowed." – Nigel Barley, _The Innocent Anthropologist_
Response:
>Tigers are the only cats who are known to love water. >Gabriele
Untrue; Turkish Vans also purportedly love water. I’ve never owned one, but one of my cat books shows them swimming and playing in water.. (remove ‘nospam’ and correct aol spelling to send email) oh, and delete the m in the first name too.
Response:
I stand corrected on the details, but the principle still applies. John A >Twice I have seen this answer about only Tigers (in the feline family) >liking water; this is not true. At least not according to the !!!!snip >America, especially somewhere on the Amazon. Jaguars love water, bath
!!!!snip
Response:
>> The only cat that likes the water is the tiger, its hunting > technique probably accounts for any smell, and as for being hunted – man is > about the only predator that they have worry about and our sense of smell is > not a factor". >That is not true. Turkish Van cats also love the water, and are very >good swimmers. >Miche
I read somewhere – long ago – that it is because it gets their underfur wet. When the underfur gets wet, it loses its insulating qualities so they have to walk around in this cold,clammy fur coat until it dries (compare it with having to put on wet thermal knits). I personally think it is because they know that when thoroughly wet they bear an uncanny resemblence to drowned rats…….And you know how finickily they can be about their personal appearance. (^: If you insist on being grouchy or nasty, there will be a $10 surcharge for putting up with you. http://www.dc.net/tscalfjr/default.html
Response:
Mine sure doesn’t–he likes to hang out in the bathtub, drink from running taps, paddle at his water dish, waits for me when I’m in the shower… Doris and Saminator, the water baby — Doris Ostendorf http://qlink.queensu.ca/~3do5/ All commercial email will be deleted unread and a complaint filed with the postmaster of origin. "Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you." C.G. Jung
Response:
We have four cats here…they’re all curious about water. The last time I took a bath I had an audience. They all wanted to see what "Mom" was doing *sitting* in the bathtub *filled with water*! M
Response:
> I Was wondering if maybe one of the reasons so many cats hate water is > because we train them to hate it.. We spray them with a water bottle when > they are bad.. So why would they like water?
It doesn’t always work that way. We spray Olivia with water from a water pistol if she does something bad (eg rowring the furniture), but that doesn’t stop her jumping in the shower the instant the last human is out, so she can play in the wet shower tray! Miche Miche Campbell <*> Captain of the Starship Yentaprise These are not necessarily the opinions of the University of Otago You say Chaos like it’s a *bad* thing! "Beer is furrowed." – Nigel Barley, _The Innocent Anthropologist_
Response:
I Was wondering if maybe one of the reasons so many cats hate water is because we train them to hate it.. We spray them with a water bottle when they are bad.. So why would they like water?
Response:
Of course not all cats are the same. My current owner, a three year old former stray, hates water so much, she even refuses to drink it. When I was a youngster, we had a cat that loved water so much that I had to make sure the bathroom door was tightly shut, if not, I would be sharing a bath with the cat. Bob Mathias
Response:
Annabelle, a calico barn cat, used to go swimming in the Charles River (MA). When she was elderly, she got a green splint fracture and the vet had to take her cast off earlier than he’d planned because she went swimming with it on. None of her kittens took after their mother. My current cat, Isabella, (11 years old) likes water. In a previous home, she used to go into the shower after I showered, and roll around in the water. I have to give her a large, very stable water dish, because she uses it like a bird bath, goes in with her front paws and splashes about. She came from a shelter at 4 weeks old, with a terrible flea infestation, and I had to give her lots of flea baths, but I don’t know whether this has anything to do with it. — Meg – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Not ALL types of cats are afraid of water. In fact, the Turkey Van or > Van Lake is noted for its love of water. They enjoy swimming and playing > in it whenever the opportunity arises. If they are watching with a > measure of caution from a distance, it is often attributed to their > instinctive curiousity for activity and sounds.
Response:
The same thing is said for Abyssinians. Hanneluja *Don’t get even, get everything*
Response:
I Was wondering if maybe one of the reasons soo many cats hate water is because we train them to hate it.. We spray them with a water bottle when they are bad.. So why would they like water?
Response:
my cats are both fascinated when i’m taking a shower..but…they only watch from a distance, and wouldn’t dare to get into the shower cubicle. they hate getting wet. i once had to clean max’s paws…he was so afraid and struggeling that i had to wrap him in a bath towel to wash his feet…he absolutely hated it. same with ironing. i use a spray bottle to moisten the clothes…every time i get out the ironing board max dashes away because he thinks he is going to get wet. hellbelle – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower >will send them running to the opposite side of the house. >Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > my cats are both fascinated when i’m taking a shower..but…they only > watch from a distance, and wouldn’t dare to get into the shower cubicle. > they hate getting wet. i once had to clean max’s paws…he was so afraid > and struggeling that i had to wrap him in a bath towel to wash his > feet…he absolutely hated it. same with ironing. i use a spray bottle to > moisten the clothes…every time i get out the ironing board max dashes > away because he thinks he is going to get wet. > hellbelle >Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower >will send them running to the opposite side of the house. >Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
Not ALL types of cats are afraid of water. In fact, the Turkey Van or Van Lake is noted for its love of water. They enjoy swimming and playing in it whenever the opportunity arises. If they are watching with a measure of caution from a distance, it is often attributed to their instinctive curiousity for activity and sounds.
Response:
Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower will send them running to the opposite side of the house. Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate water? Tim
Response:
When we picked up our cat we gave her a flee bath and she didn’t mind it at all. Is there something with the way they are raised as babies that make a difference? Tim H wrote in article … – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower >will send them running to the opposite side of the house. >Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
Response:
Tigers are the only cats who are known to love water. Gabriele Tim H schrieb: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or > shower > will send them running to the opposite side of the house. > Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively > hate > water? > Tim
Response:
> Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower > will send them running to the opposite side of the house. > Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate > water? > Tim
– The best explanation I have gotten for most cats disliking getting wet is that they spend a lot of time grooming and adjusting their coat for best fur performance as an insulator. Getting wet means they have to take a longer time and redo everything, especially irritating if there is a breeze or such, as the insulation has gone when the coat is wet. Cats are basically lazy (or call it energy conservation, in the metabolic sense), they do not like adding work to their schedule. — This has been Mark and/or Mary Shannon History manages to get away with cliches no novelist could.
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Our 1 year old Angora, Bart Simpson, loves the shower. He will stand in the shower while it is steamy, in the mist, and clean himself. He stays in the tub until the water encircles him and his huge tail. He loves to drink out of the tap, and will stand in the sink. Our Maine Coon wannabe sleeps in the sink and comes running when there is water dripping out of the faucets. We thought our two little cats would hate water – but they have learned that the sink is the best way to answer nature’s call for running water. Still, no one likes a bath….
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I don’t think cats are so instinctively afraid of water as they are of water PRESSURE. Example: my cat likes to drink from the bathtub faucet, dipping her paws in the tub bottom and getting her feet wet, but if I turn on the shower or squirt her with a squirt gun when she’s doing something inappropriate, she’ll dart away. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
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> Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower > will send them running to the opposite side of the house. > Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate > water?
They aren’t instinctively afraid of water. Some cats _love_ water and are fascinated by it. My Olivia runs for the shower after the humans get out so she can play with the water in the shower tray. Sometimes she comes in the shower with us! One breed of cats, the Turkish Van, loves to swim. I’ve been told (though I don’t know if it’s true) that Turkish Van cats actually suffer psychologically if they are kept in a place where they can’t regularly go swimming. Did your kitties maybe have a horrible experience with water when they were younger? This might make them scared of it. Miche Miche Campbell <*> Captain of the Starship Yentaprise These are not necessarily the opinions of the University of Otago You say Chaos like it’s a *bad* thing! "Beer is furrowed." – Nigel Barley, _The Innocent Anthropologist_
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My idea I thought up was that water makes a lot of noise when it splashes about. Cats’ ears are much more sensitive than ours, so all that noise disturbs them greatly. I imagine it sort of as raising your voice to a cat, it knows there’s trouble. Bri
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>>Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower >will send them running to the opposite side of the house. >Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
Not all cats fear water. My Shadesong loves it! While I’m running the shower to get it warm, she’ll walk in the shower stall and get a drink. She also is fascinated by a full bathtub — to the point that she fell in once! Kathie
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Could temperature be a factor? Our Pepper has a very small frame and is slender ( just under 9 lbs). I do not have to bathe her often, but I’ve noticed that when I get the water at a temp that I think would be nice, she is spastic. When I get the temp *very very* warm (the temp we would like to nurse sore muscles) she calms down. Not enjoying it, but calm. Peg
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I remember reading an explanation of why cats don’t like water in a book by either by Dr Desmond Morris or by ? Attenborough (sp?). It goes something like "cats groom themselves with saliva which in their case is a natural deodorizer but only if kept dry. If a cat gets wet it will start to smell, this put the cat at a disadvantage when hunting and increases its risk of predation." The only cat that likes the water is the tiger, its hunting technique probably accounts for any smell, and as for being hunted – man is about the only predator that they have worry about and our sense of smell is not a factor". It is also interesting that some of you have cats that love water, like the tiger. In some behavioral studies that were done recently (I can not remember the source) it was found that the domestic cat behaves in a manner that is very similar to that of the Bengal tiger. The major differences were in group behaviors. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Our two kitties loathe water. An accidental splash from the sink or shower >will send them running to the opposite side of the house. >Has it been scientifically determined exactly why cats instinctively hate >water? >Tim
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> The only cat that likes the water is the tiger, its hunting > technique probably accounts for any smell, and as for being hunted – man is > about the only predator that they have worry about and our sense of smell is > not a factor".
That is not true. Turkish Van cats also love the water, and are very good swimmers. Miche Miche Campbell <*> Captain of the Starship Yentaprise These are not necessarily the opinions of the University of Otago You say Chaos like it’s a *bad* thing! "Beer is furrowed." – Nigel Barley, _The Innocent Anthropologist_
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>Tigers are the only cats who are known to love water. >Gabriele
Untrue; Turkish Vans also purportedly love water. I’ve never owned one, but one of my cat books shows them swimming and playing in water.. (remove ‘nospam’ and correct aol spelling to send email) oh, and delete the m in the first name too.
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I stand corrected on the details, but the principle still applies. John A >Twice I have seen this answer about only Tigers (in the feline family) >liking water; this is not true. At least not according to the !!!!snip >America, especially somewhere on the Amazon. Jaguars love water, bath
!!!!snip
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>> The only cat that likes the water is the tiger, its hunting > technique probably accounts for any smell, and as for being hunted – man is > about the only predator that they have worry about and our sense of smell is > not a factor". >That is not true. Turkish Van cats also love the water, and are very >good swimmers. >Miche
I read somewhere – long ago – that it is because it gets their underfur wet. When the underfur gets wet, it loses its insulating qualities so they have to walk around in this cold,clammy fur coat until it dries (compare it with having to put on wet thermal knits). I personally think it is because they know that when thoroughly wet they bear an uncanny resemblence to drowned rats…….And you know how finickily they can be about their personal appearance. (^: If you insist on being grouchy or nasty, there will be a $10 surcharge for putting up with you. http://www.dc.net/tscalfjr/default.html
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Mine sure doesn’t–he likes to hang out in the bathtub, drink from running taps, paddle at his water dish, waits for me when I’m in the shower… Doris and Saminator, the water baby — Doris Ostendorf http://qlink.queensu.ca/~3do5/ All commercial email will be deleted unread and a complaint filed with the postmaster of origin. "Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you." C.G. Jung
