Why are cats afraid of a vacuum cleaner?

Surely you noticed that your cat does not share the master's passion for many household appliances. Mixers, food processors, hair dryers, fans, but a separate line, of course, is the most terrible, booming and formidable unit in the house - a vacuum cleaner. Why is he so scared of furry pets? And what can be done to keep the animal calm and the house clean?

By his behavior, the pet will make it clear that he is very excited. Here are signs that speak eloquently about this:

• wool stands on end;
• the pupils are very dilated;
• the animal is trying to hide in a remote place;
• the cat hisses or meows loudly;
• trying to scratch or bite the owner if he wants to take the animal in his arms.

There are several reasons why pets try to hide at the slightest sign of a formidable enemy.

• Noise. Agree, if a train flies near you or an airplane flies, you will feel it. But since you know that transportation is not a danger, you will not begin to hide under the sofa. For cats, the noise level coming from a vacuum cleaner exceeds the level of calm and comfort, so the animal reacts negatively to the technique and tries to leave the object as far as possible. The included vacuum cleaner operates at a frequency of 80 decibels, this causes a strong vibration of the tympanic membranes of the animal, and with it painful sensations. Pets often become disoriented.
• Vibration. Cats can not only hear, but also pick up vibrations.On the legs there are special receptors that help the animals to fix changes in space and feel even small vibrations. The vacuum cleaner vibrates quite strongly and intensively, this prompts the animal to react to what is happening. Often the right decision is to get as far away as possible from the source of vibration.
• Fear of an unknown subject. Surely you do not clean the apartment every day. And most likely, the vacuum cleaner does not stand in the most prominent and honorable place in your home. Most of the time the animal does not collide with the machine, so rare and sudden encounters make the cat nervous.
• Some cats see a rival in the vacuum cleaner rather than a life-threatening machine. You may also have noticed such animals that remain in the room with the car, stand on their hind legs, put their tail in a pipe and even try to attack the source of unrest, despite the fact that the cat is very scared. Pets perceive the movement of the machine as an encroachment on their territory and are ready to defend their rights to land.
• In rare cases, the owner is to blame for the cat being afraid of the vacuum cleaner, who decided to clean not only the floors, but also the furry pet for fun. Of course, such actions cannot please the cat. If at this moment you are having fun, then the animal feels fear. It is not surprising that at the next meetings she will prefer to get out of sight of an unpleasant aggregate in advance.

Another problem that experts single out is more concerned with the owners of older vacuum cleaners. During operation, they not only absorb dust on the carpet, but also lift it. Small particles irritate the mucous membrane of the animal and interfere with normal breathing.

If you notice that the cat begins to sneeze during cleaning, most likely the dust raised in the air will be the fault.

It is best to do this while your kitten has not yet grown. Re-educating an adult animal will be more difficult. The first thing to do: more often leave the idle unit in a visible place so that the animal can get used to its presence.

Some training experts recommend putting the vacuum cleaner closer to food and water bowls. Sure, it must not be included in any case. The pet must get used to the presence of a stranger. After some time, you can start cleaning the room, without pushing the bowl, and at the same time add delicacies to lure the pet. Soon the cat should get used to, including the noise.

If you are unable to reconcile the two camps, do not insist on such friendship. Do not force the cat to remain with the machine turned on one on one in the room, in no case do not lock the animal with the machine running.

We offer you several options for solutions, and which one to choose - each one determines for himself.

You can put up and during the cleaning, provide the pet with room for maneuver and retreat. Some send cats for a walk to the balcony or temporarily close in the kitchen, at the same time muffling noise with the help of a closed door. If you have a kitten in your house, it is better that a person be with him at this time. It’s easy to scare a small beast for life, and this is completely unnecessary.

There is another option, to which pets are more tolerant and even benefit from it. Use a robot vacuum cleaner. It emits much less noise and vibration. It is compact and will not scare the cat away with its size.

See what cats are afraid of in the next video.