Of all the stereotypes about cats, their dislike of water is one of the most common. But why is that? Dr. Wailani Sung, Joybound’s Senior Director of Training and Enrichment, was interviewed by Scientific American about this misconception. Check it out!
Do Cats Really Hate Water?
Not all cats are hydrophobic
Cats hate water, but they love fish—and these two stereotypes contradict each other. Although today’s furry house rulers can enjoy fishy feasts while staying high and dry, since time immemorial, wild cats have apparently been willing to get their paws wet to snag some tasty treats.
This discrepancy is just one clue that blithely assuming that all cats hate water is a mistake, says Wailani Sung, a veterinary behaviorist at Joybound People & Pets, a rescue and veterinary service in California. “I think when we generalize like that, we do animals a disservice,” she says. “Cats are all individuals. Some cats like water. Some cats don’t.”
In that way, they aren’t so different from canines, says Carlo Siracusa, a veterinary behaviorist at the University of Pennsylvania. “We tend to think cats are this unique creature that doesn’t like water, but there are many dogs that do not like water,” he says.
One key difference between the pet species might have contributed to the stereotype, Sung notes: pet cats tend to stay indoors, whereas dogs are more frequently brought out into the world and taken on adventures, potentially giving them more opportunities to get used to and enjoy being in water. Most pet dogs are also regularly exposed to water through bathing, but… (Read more)
