If cats do indeed have nine lives, then people who scare them with cucumbers are taking away more than one life from their favorite feline.
First off; yes, cucumbers.
Second; scaring cats with cucumbers is definitely a "thing," as you can see in the video below.
If you do a quick search for cats and cucumbers on YouTube, you'll find almost as many videos as there are cover versions of Taylor Swift songs.
But despite the comedy that comes from seeing poor little kitty frightened beyond belief from the long vegetable, animal experts say the practice is cruel and unkind.
"Your pets rely on you to keep them safe," Dr. Frank McMillan told the Mother Nature Network. "Intentionally scaring your pet violates this trust."
McMillan, a director at Best Friends Animal Society, says that scaring cats with any kind of object, even a seemingly benign member of the gourd family, could cause serious physical or psychological injury.
"For repeated incidents there would be a high likelihood of the cat developing a fear of everything around where the events take place," said McMillan. "For instance, this could mean that your cat could become afraid to even come near his or her food dish."
So think twice before using your pet as the unknowing star of your next home video. Unless you can get the cat to sing "Shake it Off," then go right ahead and post it to YouTube.
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Cats Cucumber Video