Why Do Cats Hate Water

One of the most common characteristics of our cats at home is their hatred towards water. While this is not totally true for all our feline friends like Tigers or Lions, who usually take a dip to freshen themselves up or hunt their prey, domestic cats in general do go to great lengths to keep away from getting wet.

Behaviorism is the science that tries to give an explanation to this phenomenon and one theory suggests that this happens due to the species of cats being evolved in dry climates. Domestic cats were descended from Arabian wild cats. Their ancestors lived in areas with very few big bodies of water. They never learned how to swim as there was no advantage to it.

Following that, it is likely that the main reason cats don’t like getting wet is because of what water does to their fur. Cats like caring for themselves and they spend a good deal of their day grooming their precious fur. Domestic cats get soaked in water, and really lack the loose skin and shaking reflex of a dog. Other animals have guard hairs and oils that keep the inner fur dry.

It takes longer for a cat's fur to dry naturally, therefore they can’t be their normal agile selves. Cat's sense of safety relies largely on their ability to get out of whatever danger appears as soon as possible. They have great spatial awareness and hearing, so they can detect danger at it's first sign. Their hind legs are backwards compared to ours, so they can launch them into a jump or a sprint from a sitting or lying position. Anything that prevents this, takes time getting used to and makes many cats nervous. This is also the reason that explains why cats refuse to go into the bathtub but they are very very happy to play with the running water out of a tap. In these cases the cat has control over the situation. After all, they are standing safely in dryland and are very ready to get away in case of an ambush. They hate feeling unsafe on a slippery wet surface with water pouring down on their fur, sensitive eyes and ears.

You know how cats follow the heat sources in the environment? Originating from a cat that lived in the desert, nowadays cats are also very sensitive to the cold. They are way worse at body temperature control than, say dogs, as they can't sweat or pant effectively. Their fur is pretty much the only thing protecting them from unhealthy temperatures. They have coats which trap water, so getting wet ruins the ability of the cat to keep itself warm. Cats are better adapted for warm temperatures. They have large ears like a lot of desert animals, they require very little water and they can withstand higher temperatures than people. In extreme conditions getting wet can easily be dangerous for a cat, so they naturally avoid water.

However, not all cats are afraid of water. H ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUCLCBCA8r8