Cats are very hygienic, they spend their time licking themselves to have an impeccable coat and be completely clean. However, cats hate water. So why don’t cats like water? I tell you everything in this article.
Why Cats Don’t Like Water: The Different Causes
Most cats have behaviors related to their survival instinct that they retain even in the domestic state. The fact that they don’t like water is no exception to this rule. But there are many reasons why cats don’t like water.
The geographical origin of cats
Cats originally come from the Middle East and are therefore naturally made to live in desert places, it is for this reason that cats love the heat . Aquatic environments are not something that is natural to them, even if they have been present on all continents for several centuries.
This is also the reason why they do not bathe to wash themselves but use their tongue, which is very suitable for washing, being made of keratin.
Water weighs down their coat
Cats love to run, jump and use their agility all the time. When soaked, they will be weighed down by the weight of water soaking into the coat and will hate that feeling of not being able to move easily.
Even motionless, they prefer to feel light than to be immersed in water because they prefer to be able to leave a place in a flash in case of potential danger.
Cats don’t like standing water
A cat may approach a lake or pool out of curiosity. But if the water is stagnant, they won’t like it because any stagnant water is potentially harmful to them and carries disease. Sometimes they will refuse to drink water from their bowl and prefer to drink it directly from the tap.
Stagnant water is in fact much more disease-prone than flowing water. Feral cats will always drink from a water source with sufficient current.
A question of habits
Cats are creatures of habit and if they are not accustomed to bathing from a young age, they will not like baths and will become extremely aggressive when bathed. You will then have to wash them dry, with the talk, to prevent him from attacking you.
Bad memories
A cat can hate water because he has bad memories of it, maybe he almost drowned in a river or a fish in the water scared him. Outdoor cats are more exposed to water than indoor cats, which do not have easy access to it.
Cats don’t like the cold
Cats love warmth, which is why they love to lie on their backs in the sun or curl up in a ball against a radiator in winter. Since cats have a warmer body temperature than humans, they don’t like the cold.
The water is usually cold and they will hate it. If you give him a bath, lukewarm water is much better.
Possible chemicals
If our tap water is good for health, its purification is done through chemicals that cats can smell thanks to their very developed sense of smell. She will then be very unpleasant for them and they will reject her.
Unhygienic
Water in natural environments is not totally clean, even very dirty, and cats will instinctively associate water with something that destroys their hygiene. And cats love hygiene. You will never see a cat wash with water.
Their smell disappears
Cats love their smell, they use it to mark their territory by rubbing or urinating and sometimes licking. By being immersed in water, they will not have their smell for a while and hate it.
An affected sense of smell
In addition to suppressing their smell, cats with damp fur lose their sense of smell, which is essential to them on a daily basis, being their main sense.
The fear of the Unknown
If your cat has never seen water, he may be afraid of it because this element is new to him and he is a very routine creature who hates change. Any unknown element is potentially a source of danger and he will be very careful when discovering it.
Do all cats hate water?
Some cats like water like Maine Coon, Bengal, Angora but the vast majority of cats will not like water and will run away from it as much as possible.
Why Cats Don’t Like Water: The Final Word
Cats don’t like water for many reasons, if you want to bathe your cat, do it very gradually and follow these valuable tips . Failing this, a wash with the talk or by the groomer will be necessary.