Experts Say Viral Cucumber Prank Can Be Harmful to Cats

When the animals finally set eyes on the cucumber laying on the floor, they are instantly startled, jumping up into the air or fleeing in terror.

John Bradshaw, a cat-behavior expert at the University of Bristol and the author of the book , agrees, saying the "despicable" videos are "an incitement for people to scare their cats and then invite people to laugh at them". Videos of cats being startled by cucumbers is going viral.

While a few deem the prank harmless and cute, animal experts disagree.

One of the reasons cats get scared is the simple element of surprise. In fact, words they're using to describe it include "despicable" and "cruel".

Chan said the long, skinny shape of the vegetable scares the cats because they instinctively think it's a snake - even if they have never seen a snake before.

"If you cause stress to an animal, that's probably not a good thing", animal behaviorist Jill Goldman tells National Geographic.

In a Hello Giggles article, the cats' frightened reactions are explained by animal behavior specialist Dr. Roger Mugford, who says "I think that the reaction is due to the novelty and unexpectedness of finding an unusual object secretly placed while their heads were down in the food bowl".

But why the freaky reaction to a mere salad ingredient, anyway?

Ms Goldman said it was also possible cats may associate the cucumber with snakes, which can be deadly predators.

And it turns out that having the hell scared out of them with produce is not a fun cat experience at all. The advice of cat experts is simple: Just don't do it.