History Main / CatsHateWater

[[caption-width-right:350:"I hate water! Especially ''wet'' water!"]]

* Chen, the little nekomata {{Catgirl}} from ''Franchise/TouhouProject'', is weakened by water. Not only does she hate water as a cat, but water also weakens her shikigami link with her master.

* Played With and Averted: The adult cats in ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' decide to swim along with you when you swim and don't avoid water when you are standing and water is near. The ocelots in the game are less likely to swim in water than the cows, sheep, chickens, pigs, wolves, dogs, and (oddly enough) spiders though.

* ''WebOriginal/CreamHeroes'': Somewhat averted with Coco, Chuchu and Nana, who tolerate baths very well and let Claire clean them. Zig-zagged with DD, who sometimes tolerates baths but sometimes wriggles and protests. Downplayed for Lulu and Momo, who tend to wriggle a lot when being given baths. Then there are TT, Lala and Dodo who will meow and protest every time Claire baths them. In Dodo's case, she hasn't even given him a full bath because he became so distressed with a practice bath (where he only got a little wet), the normally tough TT and Lala felt sorry for him.

[[caption-width-right:350:I hate water! Especially ''wet'' water!]]

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baths-cats_copy_4595.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[BigNo NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO]]!!!]]

* In Phil Folgio's ''ComicStrip/WhatsNewWithPhilAndDixie'', he proposed several exercises that would allow ''D&D'' players to experience what adventuring would be like in real life. To demonstrate the injuries normally received in a dungeon encounter, "[[http://www.airshipentertainment.com/growfcomic.php?date=20070513 Strap 53 live cats to your body and take a cold shower.]]"

** In ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'', Lady Tremaine the WickedStepmother lists chores for Cinderella to do and her mean cat Lucifer nods along after each one, but when she gets to “And don’t forget to give Lucifer his bath” he shakes his head and glares at her instead.

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'': When Calvin's mom has signed him up for swimming lessons against his will, he asks her if she signed Hobbes up too. She tells him that "it's not good to get tigers wet." Hobbes's own explanation: "It takes us all day to dry, and until we do, we smell funny."

* Chen, the little nekomata {{Catgirl}} from ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'', is weakened by water. Not only does she hate water as a cat, but water also weakens her shikigami link with her master.

* In ''WesternAnimation/IceAge2TheMeltdown'', sabre-tooth tiger Diego is afraid of water since he can't swim. It takes a while for him to overcome this.

* If ''VideoGame/{{Bubsy}}'' so much as puts a toe in water, he'll drown.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': In "Cat Fingers", Steven tries to learn how to shape-shift, but it goes out of control and his [[BodyHorror body is covered in cat creatures.]] He figures out how to get rid of them by having his dad spray him with a hose, but they end up having to run Steven through the car wash to get rid of the cats.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': Francine's cat, Nemo, was afraid of water as a result of being read his namesake, ''Literature/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea'', until she hypnotized him into thinking otherwise, resulting in him actually ''playing'' in the bathtub.

* ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'': In the episode "The Big Answer", the cats (Paula's family) and turtles (Filburt's family) are on opposite sides at their wedding, and when Heffer starts a fight, all the turtles stand up, then jump back into the water to splash the cats. The cats get angry, and an all-out war ensues.

* ''Literature/DungeonCrawlerCarl'': Part of the fifth floor is a water-themed zone, with an underwater castle and everything. Donut, UpliftedAnimal cat, absolutely refuses to get anywhere near it. Unfortunately, they end up washed out to see anyway. Donut wakes up about a hundred yards underwater, just in time for her and Carl to fight a giant shark, swim up to the surface, and row back to shore.

* A variation of this trope shows up in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1GMlXuvdic videos]] of cats acting stressed when seeing their owners taking a bath and even attempting to "save" their humans from drowning.

** The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_Van Turkish Van]], also known as the 'swimming cat', who [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as their name suggests]], don't mind getting wet, and have been know to go swimming. This is explained by their silky dense water-repellent coats, which dry nearly instantly even in cold seasons. This breed has been known to actually go ''looking'' for water to swim in, and owners have had to lock their bathroom doors to prevent their cats from playing with the faucets.

* This is the case for Maximus I.Q., the cat-like BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/AtomicBetty''. He can't swim and ''hates'' water, almost to the point of it being an AchillesHeel for him.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' episode "Enter the Cat", Valmont (and later Jade) is transformed into a [[CatGirl Cat Guy]] after being scratched by a cat statue. Jade is trying to retrieve the statue for Jackie, but Valmont hears her and corners her. So she grabs a hose and turns it on him, full blast. He yowls and runs off while Jade says this trope verbatim.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode, "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E9SweetAndElite Sweet and Elite]]", Rarity [[MindOVerMatter telekinetically]] forced a quick shower on her cat Opal in an attempt to make her "my cat got sick" excuse more real. Much yowling was heard during the impromptu bath, with Opal giving a DeathGlare to her owner afterwards.

* On ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'', in the episode "The Big Answer," the cats (Paula's family) and turtles (Filburt's family) are on opposite sides at their wedding, and when Heffer starts a fight, all the turtles stand up, then jump back into the water to splash the cats. The cats get angry, and an all-out war ensues.
* In ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'', Catra (who in this version is a CatGirl instead of a shapeshifting human) is shown to be less than thrilled about having to get on a boat, and she is also uncomfortable with snow (which is wet ''and'' cold). It's later played for laughs in season 5, when it's revealed that the CrazyPrepared Netossa's plan for dealing with Catra as an enemy would have been [[spoiler:spritzing her in the face with a squirt bottle, then restraining her with an energy net when she freaked out.]]

* There was an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' where Gary the snail (which is the show's equivalent to a cat) [[HatesBaths didn't want to take a bath]] and [=SpongeBob=] tried many ways to get him to take one, this case is particularly unusual considering that the entire show takes place ''underwater''.

* The ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short film, "Fin 'N Catty", features a cat trying to eat a goldfish despite his obsessive-compulsive fear of water (even one drop makes him run to [[RunningGag get a paper towel and dry off furiously]]). After being trapped in a flooded shower stall, he not only overcomes his fear, but he also [[SuperNotDrowningSkills starts sleeping inside the goldfish's fishbowl]], much to the fish's disdain because he has to live in a glass now.

* There was an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' where Gary the snail (which is the show's equivalent to a cat) [[HatesBaths didn't want to take a bath]] and [=SpongeBob=] tried many ways to get him to take one, this case is particularly unusual considering that the entire show takes place ''underwater''.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersUnitedTheyStand'' Tigra revealed she has a paralyzing fear of water because she is half cat.

* This is the case for Maximus I.Q., the cat-like BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/AtomicBetty''. He can't swim and ''hates'' water, almost to the point of it being an AchillesHeel for him.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode, "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E9SweetAndElite Sweet and Elite]]", Rarity [[MindOVerMatter telekinetically]] forced a quick shower on her cat Opal in an attempt to make her "my cat got sick" excuse more real. Much yowling was heard during the impromptu bath, with Opal giving a DeathGlare to her owner afterwards.
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': In "Cat Fingers", Steven tries to learn how to shape-shift, but it goes out of control and his [[BodyHorror body is covered in cat creatures.]] He figures out how to get rid of them by having his dad spray him with a hose, but they end up having to run Steven through the car wash to get rid of the cats.

* On ''WesternAnimation/SheriffCalliesWildWest'', Callie can't stand getting wet and in "A Fistful of Flowers" expends extra effort repairing a hole in the jailhouse roof when she hears there's a major storm coming. Then she shows why she's a Badass Adorable by traveling with Priscilla in Gullywasher Gulch with the storm about to hit any minute in order to help her pick a curative flower.
* On ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'', in the episode "The Big Answer," the cats (Paula's family) and turtles (Filburt's family) are on opposite sides at their wedding, and when Heffer starts a fight, all the turtles stand up, then jump back into the water to splash the cats. The cats get angry, and an all-out war ensues.
* ''WesternAnimation/NatureCat'' avoids water at all costs and panics whenever he gets splashed, though he occasionally builds up enough strength to ride in boats. Is brought to a head in "Tide Pool Tough", where the entire plot is his determination to get over his fear of water in order to try surfing.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'': Rita hates water, so [[ButtMonkey naturally]] several episodes have her get soaked with rain and/or splashed with water by Runt, and in one episode almost [[SalemIsWitchCountry drowned as a witch in Salem.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'', Catra (who in this version is a CatGirl instead of a shapeshifting human) is shown to be less than thrilled about having to get on a boat, and she is also uncomfortable with snow (which is wet ''and'' cold). It's later played for laughs in season 5, when it's revealed that the CrazyPrepared Netossa's plan for dealing with Catra as an enemy would have been [[spoiler:spritzing her in the face with a squirt bottle, then restraining her with an energy net when she freaked out.]]

** The relatively new Bengal cats, Savannas, American Bobtails, [=LaPerms=], Kurilian Bobtails, and Pixie Bobs are known for being rather unafraid of water, as are American Shorthairs, Turkish Angoras, and Maine Coons. Many have been reported joining their master for a bath, whether the master wanted it to or not.

** Due to their lack of fur, Sphynx's and other hairless breeds need frequent bathing. As a result they tend to enjoy (or at least, tolerate) baths.

** Tigers and jaguars LOVE water and are excellent swimmers, and jaguars are known to hunt fish, turtles & small caimans [[note]]Amazonian Indians claim the jaguar uses its tail as bait, but there's no known observation of this behavior. It's very possible the jaguar's skull-crushing bite came from an origin of hunting heavily armored water reptiles.[[/note]] Heck, just look around ''any'' zoo. Tigers in the "Out of Africa" zoo in Arizona regularly go for a dip in the pool, there's even an event based around this called, "Tiger Splash".

** Unlike tigers, lions generally seem to have a large aversion to water, although in places like the Okavango Delta, they do swim regularly in search of prey; considering the area is full of water during wet seasons, they are more or less forced into it. There's a very good reason for lions' dislike of water: in Africa, there's a high chance that any body of water of a decent size will have hippos, crocodiles, or both. [[AlwaysABiggerFish Both animals regularly kill lions]] and in water a lion would have little chance to flee or defend itself.
** Presumably, this brings a lot of confusion to the poor hybrid ligers and tigons, who can't make up their mind whether to swim in joy or drown in fear. Turns it that although ligers have a lot of conflicting behaviors and instincts, but they seem to universally love water.
** There is an endangered, medium-sized Asian cat species simply called the "Fishing Cat". As their name implies, they avert this trope as they live in wetlands and by rivers. Their main prey is fish.
** Scottish Wildcats show a reduced fear of water compared to many domestic cats [[note]]insert your own joke about Scottish weather here[[/note]] and are suggested to occasionally fish. Rather than diving in like the specialised Fishing Cat, they dip their paws into shallow burns or loch edges to try and scoop out passing fish just as a kitten scoops a ball into the air over its head then turns and pounces onto it. While very fun, it's also instinct teaching the kitten how to fish.
* According to some reports, cougars dislike immersing in water, but will swim in it if necessary. The only noted exception is the extremely endangered subspecies known as the Florida panther, which handled large bodies of water and swimming with aplomb. It's hard to be sure since the creatures are so elusive or possibly extinct.

** The cats from three of the Clans don't particularly like water, but they will go in the water if they have to, while the fourth Clan, [=RiverClan=], loves the water and regularly goes swimming and fishing. Although they don't like involuntary exposure, such as being rained on, any more than the other Clans.

* Francine's Cat "Nemo" in ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' was afraid of water as a result of being read his namesake, ''Literature/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea'' until she hypnotized him into thinking otherwise, resulting in him actually ''playing'' in the bathtub.
* The ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' cartoon, "Fin 'N Catty", features a cat trying to eat a goldfish despite his obsessive-compulsive fear of water (even one drop makes him run to [[RunningGag get a paper towel and dry off furiously]]). After being trapped in a flooded shower stall, he not only overcomes his fear, but he also [[SuperNotDrowningSkills starts sleeping inside the goldfish's fishbowl]], much to the fish's disdain because he has to live in a glass now.
* ''WesternAnimation/CatDog''; another way Cat's a {{foil}} to his other half [[DogsAreDumb Dog]].

** In the premiere movie, Kion is splashed twice in the space of a few minutes, first by Bunga and then by Beshte. Although he casually shrugs it off the first time, it's still clear that he does not enjoy being wet. However, in the second last episode, he has no problem pulling his girlfriend Rani through a waterfall for a swim during their love song.

* Most breeds of domestic cat and many moggies do hate water if it's forced upon them, and many turn into furry cuisinarts when a bathtub full of water is threatened. However, some cats don't mind water if they're introduced to it gently (for baths, it helps if it's very warm) and some certainly don't mind getting wet while drinking from a faucet or even a {{toilet|DrinkingDogGag}}. The issue is with instincts. Domestic cats are descended from wildcats that lived primarily in desert areas, so as a rule, they have an instinctual fear of large bodies of water (they so seldom see them). For that matter, dog breeds from similar areas have similar aversion to water. This instinct is not as strong in some cats, and it can be completely overcome with training (although it's easier to do it before the cat in question is full-grown). There's also the issue of temperature. Being descended from desert animals, many cats hate being cold, and a thorough soaking will allow air to get to the skin more easily, never mind the evaporating water taking some body heat with it. Only a few breeds have coats that can be considered water-resistant (Maine Coons are one such breed, as well as Turkish Vans, explained directly below). It's often considered that a lot of cats don't like baths because they're not accustomed to it. Cats rarely get bathed - typically only when they get extremely dirty or have a flea/tick issue - as they clean themselves so they aren't used to it. This aversion can be exploited as a means of behavior deterrence: fill a squirt bottle with water, and start squirting at a house cat who is misbehaving. In true Pavlovian fashion, eventually the cat will stop misbehaving when you even reach for a squirt bottle. And will start hating you, but that's another story.

** Obviously this varies a lot by the individual, but many cats with calmer temperaments will tolerate getting a bath from a human they love and trust a lot. Though they might decide that they don't love and trust that human quite so much for a couple of hours right after.