Do Cats Fear Water but are Natural Swimmers? Unveiling the Swimming Abilities of Domestic Cats

Recently, I came across a video online that made me increasingly angry. Two high school students took their pet cat to the river and threw it into the water, claiming to be teaching the cat to swim. An indoor domestic cat, you tell me to teach it to swim? It was clearly winter in the video, and you could see the cat, drenched, running away as soon as it climbed onto the bank. Even through the screen, you could feel the cat’s fear and panic.

Can Cats Really Swim?

Let’s start with the answer: domestic cats that have been kept indoors for a long time cannot swim and do not like it. Cats that live outdoors, near the water, and are exposed to water every day can adapt to swimming. Indoor cats rarely come into contact with water; they dislike it. When you bathe a cat, its panic and struggle tell you everything. Forcing them to swim could potentially trigger a stress response.

However, this does not mean that cats cannot swim. Research by zoologists has shown that most mammals can swim, including elephants, camels, hedgehogs, and even rabbits, which can swim under certain conditions. Cats and dogs are particularly good at swimming; don’t be deceived by their small size, they might swim faster than you.

Cats are Born Swimmers, So Why Do They Fear Water?

This is due to their nature and habits. Domestic cats were first domesticated in Egypt, where the weather is hot and water sources are scarce. Additionally, cats’fur is not waterproof, and once they fall into the water, it takes a long time to dry, with the damp feeling being very uncomfortable for them. If you don’t believe it, you can spray some water at your cat and see its reaction. Of course, there are also some cat breeds that love swimming naturally, such as the fishing cat, which lives in jungles and near water sources, relying on fishing for food.

Having read this, you can easily answer the question of whether cats can swim or not. If you want to train your domestic cat to swim, it is essential to tailor the teaching to the cat’s nature. If your cat goes out to play every day and shows no resistance to bathing, then your cat can easily learn to swim. All you need to do is prepare a sufficiently large basin, and it will swim for you. But if your cat struggles violently even during a bath, it indicates that your cat is really not suitable for swimming, and it’s better to give up as soon as possible.