When I think of cats, I definitely can say that I don’t know of any cats that actually like water. Countless viral videos across the internet usually show soaking wet cats in the tub yowling or just looking plain sad. However, one cat named Enix is defying all expectations.
In a video that has gone viral, a cat named Enix is shown swimming happily around in a tub and playing with a bottle cap.
Despite what we might expect, Enix seems perfectly happy in her little tub and content to just splash around to her heart’s content. She chases the bottle cap around the tub, stopping only to get a few pets from her owner. At the end of the video, the owner pans briefly to their older cat, who is happy to just sit on the sidelines and not get their paws wet.
This video brings up an interesting question: why do we assume that cats and water don’t mix?
Cats hating water seems like a widely-held truth – when in fact, it isn’t. Although many cats don’t tend to like water, this is actually due to other factors than just their inherent nature.
In one article, Animal Planet claims that certain breeds of cat are actually instinctually driven to swim, such as the Turkish Van cat, whose ancestors were known for swimming. These cats are well known for their love of water, but what about other cats?
For many cats, water has a negative association, typically with experiences like being out in the rain or being forced to take a bath. Also, cats will avoid water as if they are avoiding the elements, a remnant instinct from their non-domesticated ancestors. However, many cats are intrigued by dripping water and are often not afraid to get a paw wet every now and again.
Most cats actually don’t need any sort of regularly bathing because they so meticulously groom themselves. Sometimes it does help if your cat can withstand some water, so Animal Planet does have some advice:
If you want your cat to like or even just tolerate water, be sure to expose your cats to water in a positive way starting at a young age.
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and apparently, you really can’t get an older cat into water. Always be sure to slowly expose your cat to water and gauge their reaction – you never know if your cat is secretly a swimmer!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
