Okay, it’s true, in general, cats and water are not best friends. We more or less agree on that, don’t we? But we’ve also seen many videos and situations where cats enjoy a bath peacefully. So, how true is it that they are afraid of water?
Let’s be honest, the vast majority of domestic cats tend to be enemies of water. So it’s not surprising that almost everyone who has cats doesn’t consider their furry friends particularly “aquatic.” But why this aversion? It is believed that this “fear” comes from the fact that they evolved in dry, arid climates (originating from the Middle East), with little contact with rivers, lakes, or the sea. Plain and simple: water only for drinking, nothing else.
Something else that has been observed is that cats tend to feel especially vulnerable in water, precisely because they cannot control the situation while in it. And that, without a doubt, is something that frustrates and scares them quite a bit.
It’s true that, despite all this, it’s normal to see them play with water in very subtle ways. For example, if we turn on a faucet, it’s not surprising that they quickly come over to play with their paws, or if they see a filled bathtub, they sometimes peek in and try to “catch” something, right? So, well, there’s a small tolerance there.
However, sometimes we see videos of cats happily enjoying a bath without any fear at all, and we wonder: how is that possible? Why does he like it and mine doesn’t? It turns out that if they are educated and gradually accustomed to it from a young age, it can become something pleasurable and completely free from stress.
