Why Are Cats Afraid of Cucumbers – What You Need To Know!

We’ve all seen the videos before. Someone throws a cucumber on the ground next to the cat, and the cat seemingly jumps in the air and runs away. But you have to ask yourself after watching all these cucumber videos: why are cats afraid of cucumbers?

Cats are afraid of cucumbers because the shape of a cucumber resembles a snake. Cats who are not familiar with cucumbers will be terrified of it. Placing a cucumber behind your cat may also startle your cat.

Most humans would never mistake a cucumber for a snake, but your cat’s instincts think so. Cats, big and small, seem to think that cucumbers are a predator, among other reasons. To learn more about this strange reaction, keep reading! 

Reasons Cats Are Afraid Of Cucumbers

It might not seem like there could be a list of reasons why your cat could be afraid of a cucumber, but you would be surprised! 

Your Cat Has Never Seen A Cucumber 

Cats will sometimes be afraid of things that they have never seen before, even if that object is a vegetable. Your cat’s first reaction to seeing the cucumber is getting scared, which you might think is a strange reaction. 

Your Cat Didn’t Expect To See The Cucumber

Many cats startle easily, so if you surprise your cat by throwing a cucumber on the ground behind them, your cat may not have expected to see the cucumber and got afraid because of it. 

Your Cat Doesn’t Know What A Cucumber Is

If a cat has never seen a cucumber before, then your cat may get scared of this new object. Your cat may approach the cucumber slowly and give it a few sniffs to figure out what it is. 

The Cucumber Might Look Like A Snake

This will come up again later, but your cat may think the cucumber looks like a snake. Some snakes are green, and the slight bends of the cucumber’s shape may make your cat think it is a very chubby snake. 

Your Cat Is Just Skittish

If your cat is skittish, then you probably wouldn’t be surprised to see that your cat is scared of a cucumber. It’s a boring reason, but they may be afraid of even their own shadow! 

Is It True That Cats Are Afraid Of Cucumbers

Some cats are indeed afraid of cucumbers, but cats are not afraid of the vegetable technically.

We’ve all seen the videos where a cat jumps in the air when they turn and see a cucumber. If you’ve never scared your cat with a cucumber, it might seem like an overreaction.

Cats are scared of cucumbers because cucumbers are shaped like snakes. Of course, most humans would laugh at the thought of someone thinking a cucumber is a snake, but a cat’s instinct kicks in when they see a cucumber and assume it’s a snake. 

Once a cat realizes the cucumber is not a snake, the cat will probably no longer be afraid of it. 

What Happens When You Put A Cucumber In Front Of A Cat

If you put a cucumber in front of a cat, your cat probably won’t have any reaction.

If your cat already looks at you when you set a cucumber down, you probably won’t see any funny reaction from your cat. Your cat will come forward and sniff the cucumber, but he won’t react in any other way. 

The cucumber is uninteresting to your cat. 

What Happens If You Put A Cucumber Next To A Cat

If you put a cucumber next to your cat, you still may not get a reaction from your cat unless your cat doesn’t see it.

Much like putting a cucumber in front of your cat, your cat probably won’t react to the cucumber next to him. If your cat sees you approaching, he will likely turn to look at you and watch what you’re doing.

What Happens If You Put A Cucumber Behind A Cat

Putting a cucumber down behind your cat is the most likely to scare your cat. 

Your cat most likely won’t see you put the cucumber down behind him. When he turns around, he will see the cucumber and probably jump the air! He may run the other way, try to attack the cucumber, or approach it slowly. 

Since your cat did not expect to see the cucumber behind them, that has the best chance of scaring your cat. 

Is It Bad To Scare Your Cat With A Cucumber

Yes, it is bad to scare your cat with a cucumber.

Even though it may be a lot of fun to see your cat’s reaction to being scared of a cucumber, it is not good to continue to scare your cat.

Your cat may be discouraged from coming around you or certain parts of the house, like a kitchen. Your cat will come to expect that he will always be scared of something and may start to hide more often than he used to.

You should never encourage a cat to hide more, especially if he is already scared of many things in your home.

Why Is It Bad to Scare Cats with Cucumbers

It would help if you never aimed to scare your cat because it stresses your cat out.

Scaring your cat means that you’re adding unnecessary stress to your cat’s life. Scaring your cat once may not affect him at all, but if you continue to scare him, you’ll start to notice changes in your cat. The stress may cause your cat to eat less, hide more, and even lose weight.

Constantly scaring your cat can also be considered animal abuse, which no one ever wants to commit. 

Are Big Cats Afraid Of Cucumbers

Big cats can also be afraid of cucumbers.

Whether the cat is a domesticated house pet or a cougar in the wild or zoo, cats all have many of the same instincts. Big cats that are housed in a zoo or live in the wild have more chances to act on their instincts, but they have them, nonetheless.

These instincts mean that big cats might also be afraid of cucumbers if they see them. They may not be as afraid as a small house cat, but there is still a chance of seeing a big cat startled by a cucumber.

Why Are Cats Scared Of Cucumbers And Bananas

Cats are afraid of cucumbers and bananas because of the snake-like shape.

Since we’ve already talked about how cats are afraid of bananas because of the shape, let’s talk about bananas too. 

Bananas have fewer curves than a cucumber, but a banana might also strike some fear in your cat if they are not expecting to see it. Most bananas, however, do not have the same markings as a cucumber, so your cat may be less likely to think the banana has the scales of a snake.

What Vegetable Are Cats Afraid Of

Other than cucumbers, there are few other vegetables that cats are afraid of.

If you’re trying to prevent your cat from getting scared of vegetables, you do not have to worry too much. If you want to prevent this, you can stay away from vegetables with a similar shape to cucumbers. Some of these vegetables include:

• Eggplant
• Zucchini 
• Squash
• Beans
• Bananas

Things To Consider

This article spends a lot of time talking about how cucumbers look like snakes to cats, but let’s dive a little deeper into how a cucumber specifically can be mistaken for a snake. 

Color and Markings

Cats are color-blind, but a cucumber has similar markings as snakes, especially those that are green. The first kind of snake that comes to mind is garden snakes.

Garden snakes are harmless, but they have a similar color to cucumbers. You may have mistaken a cucumber for a snake (or vice versa) if you grow cucumbers. 

Shape

If a snake were the same circumference as a cucumber, it would be one fat snake! I would probably run in the other direction too! Cucumbers have similar bends like a snake as it slithers along in the dirt. The bends and curves may make your cat picture a snake.

Texture

This one is a little gross, but the texture could also confuse your cat. Like a snake, raw cucumbers are cold to the touch. Snakes are pretty cold, too, since they are cold-blooded.

If you picked your cucumber after a rainy day, your cucumber may also be a bit slimy and covered in dirt. If you ever picked up a snake as a kid, then you know snakes can be pretty cold, slimy, and covered in mud too.