Cats, in general, are composed animals and they seem to rarely express emotional outbursts. However, it is public knowledge that cats dislike water, so if you get a cat wet, you will notice an immediate overreaction. The question is, why are cats afraid of water?
According to scientists, it may come from their ancestors. Domestic cats were descended from Arabian wild cats, which lived in an area with very few large bodies of water, so they never had to learn how to swim as there was no real advantage to it.
We also have to take into account the physical sensation of being soaked. Their wet fur cannot shed water easily so they will have a hard time returning to a dry, warm state quickly. Cats are also used to feeling fast and agile, but in water, their movements become slow and sluggish.
Many cats also seem to be paradoxically impressed by trickling water from taps or faucets, but according to researchers, they are not really interested in the water itself, but in the flickering pattern and the reflecting lights of the surface. As long as it moves and makes an interesting sound, it may trick their brain into thinking about a potential sign of prey.
Some brave cats do not hate water that much. For example, the Turkish Van cats that live near the shore of Lake Van in Eastern Turkey are known as good swimmers. But they have probably got used to this out of necessity.
