I. Why cats don't like water

People who have owned cats should be very familiar with the characteristic that cats are afraid of water, yet we have never thought about why cats are afraid of water. In folklore, especially in Western countries, it is believed that the reason why cats are afraid of water is that they are messengers from hell and water symbolizes the river Styx, so cats, in general, are afraid of water and even dare not approach. However, after scientific research, the reason why cats are afraid of water may be caused by living too long in areas where water is scarce.

Cat slaves know that trying to bathe a cat is a "problem of the century", because once it touches the water will be very uneasy, and then the mood will be very grumpy, and even aggressive behavior. Cats are afraid of water and this behavior is not certain, the cat thirsty will go to the faucet with the tongue to add water, and when the weather is hot also like to soak its feet in the pool. Why is it so fearful when bathing? In response to this question, John Bradshaw, a professor in the School of Veterinary Science at the University of Bristol, conducted a series of investigations and analyses. He introduced to us that not all cats are afraid of water, like the Turkish Van cat is very pro-water, especially likes to swim in the lake, and therefore won the title of "the cat that can swim". In addition, large felines like tigers can also swim.

There are many reasons why cats do not like water, the first reason is evolution. In warmer regions, wild cats choose to cool down, but most domestic cats originate from arid regions and are descendants of Arabian wild cats, which are rarely exposed to large lakes from birth, so swimming is not a necessary survival skill for domestic cats. The second reason is caused by the primitive wild nature of cats. For felines, their wild nature forces them to maintain the best state to avoid danger and hunt for food, and the wetting of their fur will obviously affect their speed and agility, making them easy to hit by other animals, so cats are not willing to get all their fur wet, and can only accept a small part of the wetting without affecting their flexibility. The third reason is that it may have had a bad process, such as the cat has been wet by heavy rain or being forced to spray flea removal fluid. All of these experiences make it fearful of liquid things, so natural resistance occurs when you bathe it. The fourth reason is that bathing can break its smell and make the cat lose itself. The cat itself has many scent glands that secrete communication pheromones, but the chemicals in the shampoo and perfume will interfere with this smell during the bath, so the cat's reluctance to bathe will make it doubtful of itself. In addition, the cat is a clean animal that cleans itself every day and is not willing to spoil the fruits of its day's work with the act of bathing.

In short, cats are afraid of water for a variety of reasons. If you try to give it some rewards that it doesn't normally have when it takes a bath, especially when it comes to food, and your cat becomes docile and non-resistant, then you still have a chance to make it love bathing. If it is always in fear, then it means that your cat is not willing to bathe in the bones, only slow down your movements, little by little let it feel the water and cognitive water, give up the fear of water. However, it is too difficult to make a cat not afraid of water in such a situation. If you really can't change it, you can only force it to take a bath, and maybe at some point, it will be able to release its fear of water on its own.

II. Why cats hate bathing so much

Cats and water don't seem to mix naturally.

When you bathe your cat yourself, it's always an amazing battle, but on the internet, you often see "other people's cats" bathing nicely. So why do cats hate water so much? Do all cats hate water? Read on to learn the truth about cats and water.

Why do cats hate water? How can they love water dripping from a faucet, but if they are allowed near a bathtub or tub full of water, they immediately flash their teeth and claws? Naturalists and feline researchers around the world currently agree on the following points.

Why do cats hate water?
Cats don't hate water, they just hate deep water or having their bodies underwater. Cats can drink near a water source, but if water covers their bodies, they immediately change from happy kittens to frightened lion cubs.

Cats hate deep water inside the bathtub or bathtub for several reasons.

1, the water pressure makes it uncomfortable

Imagine if you need to carry a wet blanket on your body until you dry it again with body heat, that feeling you will like? And that's how cats feel when they get all wet.

When their fur is soaked with water, cats feel much heavier and cannot move with normal agility. For cats who like to live with gentle, easy, light wandering, this is a very unpleasant experience, so they especially resist water to get their bodies wet.

2. The evolutionary history of cats determines

Another reason why cats hate water is their history. During the evolution of cats, not many interactions with bodies of water have occurred. Cats originated in the great arid deserts of Africa, which means that rivers or oceans are not a difficulty they have to face, so they have no experience in this area and quite naturally have a fear of the unknown.

3銆丆ats can smell chemicals in the water

Hate bathing! Why do cats hate water so much?
The sense of smell is the most reliable sense for cats, and cats also use their noses to know the world. Tap water contains certain chemicals that we humans cannot smell, but cats can, and these smells may be very special to cats.

4. Negative experiences

Some cats may have experienced bathing in a bathtub or bath or had their fur all wet when they were young. And the cat's long-term memory will be the water associated with wetness, cold, stress, uncomfortable, and other responsible emotions, when it next saw the water in the bathtub, these negative emotions will be immediately called out.

5銆丩oss of control

Cats can play with any dripping faucet within reach and even venture close to the bathtub while sticking their paws in, but once the water is deeper than their paws, they will immediately panic and scratch and run around. Because in the first two cases, the cat has more control, after all, it remains safely on the ground, it is easy to escape. But on a slippery surface, with water submerging their bodies, the cat will be in an instinctive predicament in the process - it has no control over its own body.

Because its cautious character makes it afraid to face any crisis, an uncontrollable body is the most taboo for cats, and this is the most important reason why cats will drink near the faucet and hate to bathe in the bathtub.

Are there any cats that like water?
All the above reasons make cats hate deep water. However, there are exceptions to any rule, and some cats like water very much.

The most famous cats that like water are Maine cats, Norwegian Forest cats, Turkish Angora cats, Bengal leopard cats, Abyssinian cats, Japanese short-tailed cats, Manx cats, etc. And the ancestors of these cats have been living in rivers, lakes, islands, and other areas for generations, forming their character of not being afraid of water and even loving it. This is because many of these cats are strong swimmers.

Can I bathe my cat?
You can bathe your cat, but not too often.

Ideally, the cat should be bathed twice a year. If the home environment is poor or the cat is often out and about, then the frequency of bathing can be increased, but preferably not more than once a month.

Bathing the cat too many times will wash off the oil on the cat's fur and skin, causing dryness and breakage of the cat's fur, reducing the resistance of the cat's skin and causing skin damage, which can lead to cat anxiety and other complications.

Why are other people's cats so well-behaved when they bathe?
Just like the ancestors of the cats above who have lived near water for generations, if they are trained to bathe when they are young, they will naturally be able to bathe very obediently after many training sessions. As for the training methods, there are many, but everything is the same, after giving the cat a bath reward it with food, so that it will be associated with the bath and food. When the number of rewards increases, it will naturally stop resisting.

Other cats are particularly docile and less likely to resist, so they can tolerate the bath even if they are not comfortable with it.