Do Cats Really Hate Water?

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While it is a universally accepted fact that cats hate water, it isn’t always true. Granted due to some personal experiences and countless videos online which show otherwise, there are certain breeds of cats that don’t hate water. For example, the Turkin Van cat doesn’t mind water at all. You might be wondering why these breed of felines love the water so much. Well, the ancestors of these felines used to jump into lakes, to beat the unbearable summer heat in Turkey. Due to this type of behavior over the years, these breed of felines started loving water.If your feline is not this breed, it probably assumes that the worst thing that could ever happen is if it got wet. Why do certain breeds of felines hate water? Well here are a couple of reasons which could explain your feline’s aversion to water.

1. Historical Reasons Even though felines love smelling and eating fish, they never used to spend time by the river. If you trace the history of domesticated felines, you will find out that most of them come from regions that had limited access to water. Due to this limitation, it wasn’t necessary for felines to adapt to water. As a result of this, cats tend to dislike water.

2. Unpleasant Experiences Most experiences that felines had with water would have been unpleasant. Just imagine how you would feel if the only time you got wet was because of some unpleasant experiences. For example, cats would have gotten sprayed with water to discipline them or because of a rainstorm or because they were forced to take baths. Due to these unpleasant experiences in the past, it is quite common for cats to have an aversion to water.

As your feline is an avid self-groomer, you never have to worry about giving it baths. However due to certain skin conditions or if your feline gets smelly and sticky, you need to bathe it. As your feline is not expecting a bath, it won’t be ready for this overwhelming experience. If you want to give your feline a bath without facing any consequences, you should make it as comfortable as possible. First, you need to stroke it and speak softly to reassure your feline. To get your feline okay with the feeling of water in its coat, use a washcloth with water at room-temperature and rub it across its body gently. If your feline doesn’t have a problem with these step, then you can start pouring water on its body. Keep in mind that the water should be warm, not hot.If you have any questions about this topic, feel free to leave a comment below!