The Vacuum Instinct.....
Riddle me this Batman....
WHAT is it with cats and the frickin' vacuum cleaner??? Exactly when in their genetic history did the instinctive fear of Hoovers appear?? Did it stem from a single incident in one cat's history, or is it a collaboration of numerous traumatic Feline/Hoover encounters?
I know for a fact that none of my cats have ever been victimized by the vacuum cleaner...they have never been run over by it, it has never chased any of them through the house, it doesn't steal their food, bark, or get more attention then they do....so why is it that they all panic whenever I take it out of the closet?? They cause themselves more damage trying to get away from the damn thing than if it actually did run them over. Just opening the closet door can cause a near riot....
One could assume that this behavior is due to the fact that the vacuum cleaner is so incredibly loud...however, my electric can opener is, at times...equally as loud and they will come from miles away to flock around it.
One could assume that it is the combination of the noise and the movement of the vacuum cleaner that causes their reaction....but the fan in the living room moves even faster and is nowhere near quiet yet they have no problems lounging around in front of it all flippin' day.
One could assume that it is the combination of the noise, movement, and the size of the vacuum cleaner that freaks them out so much.....however, I am bigger than the Hoover, am always on the move, and have the tendency to be quite loud....yet they are constantly swarming at my feet so WHAT GIVES??
I am finding it increasingly difficult to accomplish this household chore without causing undue stress on my felines....it has turned into an all day project as I patiently wait for the cats to move from room to room so as not to disturb them with the evil vacuum cleaner. I even bought a little dirt devil type thingy in hopes that it would be less frightening to them.....nope. No luck there.
I give up.
My next house will have hardwood floors...I can tell you that.
WHAT is it with cats and the frickin' vacuum cleaner??? Exactly when in their genetic history did the instinctive fear of Hoovers appear?? Did it stem from a single incident in one cat's history, or is it a collaboration of numerous traumatic Feline/Hoover encounters?
I know for a fact that none of my cats have ever been victimized by the vacuum cleaner...they have never been run over by it, it has never chased any of them through the house, it doesn't steal their food, bark, or get more attention then they do....so why is it that they all panic whenever I take it out of the closet?? They cause themselves more damage trying to get away from the damn thing than if it actually did run them over. Just opening the closet door can cause a near riot....
One could assume that this behavior is due to the fact that the vacuum cleaner is so incredibly loud...however, my electric can opener is, at times...equally as loud and they will come from miles away to flock around it.
One could assume that it is the combination of the noise and the movement of the vacuum cleaner that causes their reaction....but the fan in the living room moves even faster and is nowhere near quiet yet they have no problems lounging around in front of it all flippin' day.
One could assume that it is the combination of the noise, movement, and the size of the vacuum cleaner that freaks them out so much.....however, I am bigger than the Hoover, am always on the move, and have the tendency to be quite loud....yet they are constantly swarming at my feet so WHAT GIVES??
I am finding it increasingly difficult to accomplish this household chore without causing undue stress on my felines....it has turned into an all day project as I patiently wait for the cats to move from room to room so as not to disturb them with the evil vacuum cleaner. I even bought a little dirt devil type thingy in hopes that it would be less frightening to them.....nope. No luck there.
I give up.
My next house will have hardwood floors...I can tell you that.
posted by lucyfur at 10:27 AM
4 Comments:
I think it might be the frequency of the noise of the vacuum cleaner. Kind of like when a dog hears a dog whistle.
Or, it could be instinctive. Maybe waaay back when, there were animals that sounded like a vacuum cleaner that hunted cats and ever since then, the surviving cats have incorporated that instinct for survival ... okay, maybe not.
I love it!! The "Hoovermonster"that is so fabulous!! I'm thinkin' the frequency thing may be a possibility but in my experience, cats also have the "selective hearing" trait which allows them to tune out any noise they deem unfit....so who knows??
A fear of grass?? That is definitely a new one...I have one that loses her mind whenever anyone uses tape. They are quite the unusual species...them cats.....
purrr
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