This black cat says the word “no” as near perfectly as it can be said by a domestic cat. Only he’s not saying “no” and we know it! He is simply vocalising his unhappiness and anxiety. This is the way it sounds and many cats make a sound similar to this when under stressful conditions or conditions which make the cat anxious. I have discussed this in earlier posts.
It is an amusing vocalisation to many people. Personally I have difficulty with it. I don’t really see the amusing side because my first thought turns to how to make the cat less anxious while at the same time dealing with the need to give them a bath (if, indeed a bath is needed). I don’t like seeing anxious and stressed cats. I want to see content cats.
I presume the owner decided that her cat needed a bath for a good reason. It is rare that a cat needs a bath but sometimes they can get covered in something nasty because they’ve fallen into it and the only way to get the stuff off is to fully bathe them. In this instance there is a tiny amount of water in a tray in a bath and I’m wondering whether the lady could have achieved her objective by wiping the necessary area of her cat’s body with a damp cloth instead of trying to dump him into water.
Not all domestic cats dislike water. Some positively love it in fact. It’s just about individual behavioural characteristics. Many wild cats like water and indeed spend a lot of their time in it. They do so to catch prey and to have a chill down in very hot climates.
What if this is a rescue cat? It’s impossible to retrain a cat if you haven’t had the kitty from kittenhood!
For example, I would love my lovely to go outside in my huge garden but she only feels safe using her litter box inside, in a safe corner and for me to be present when she uses it.