Watch as a Jet Skier Finds a Cat Swimming Deep in the Ocean… Yes, a Cat

It’s not unusual for jet skiers to find creatures alongside them in the ocean but to find a cat is incredible! This poor kitty is a very long way from the shore and we can only guess at how it got there! One of the hashtags accompanying the post is #savingcat so we are pretty confident that this story had a happy ending!

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Why Don’t Cats Like Water?

The main reason that cats don’t like water is that they don’t like the feeling of being wet. Their coats are not designed to repel water in the same way as many dogs’ coats. Therefore, when their fur is wet it feels heavy and uncomfortable and sticks to their skin a bit like wet clothes stick to us if we fall in the sea.

Cats evolved in the Middle East where arid environments are the norm. Therefore, they did not need to get used to wet conditions like animals that evolved in wetter climates.

You may think that water has no smell but cats do! They do not like the odor and because their sense of smell is much better than ours, that odor is quite strong for them.

Finally, being in the water makes cats feel out of control. As cat owners know, felines don’t like to not be in charge!

There are some breeds of domestic cats, however, who are willing to tolerate water. In particular, Siberian, Bengal, and sphynx cats don’t tend to get quite as freaked out about getting wet and neither do Turkish angoras and Manx cats.

How Well Can Cats Swim?

As you can see from this clip, cats are pretty good swimmers. They may not choose to enter the water, but if they accidentally fall in, they do not sink. Domestic cats can keep themselves afloat and even use a kind of doggy paddle to propel themselves forward.

Several big cat species are excellent at swimming. Surprisingly, tigers are very comfortable in the water and are proficient swimmers. Most of the time, however, they go into the water to cool down.

Lions are not quite so keen on getting wet but are also happy to get into the water to keep themselves cool when temperatures rise. Cougars have been recorded swimming long distances between islands looking for food. They can cope with cold temperatures and have even managed to avoid both boats and killer whales! Thankfully, this kitty only had to cope with a jet ski.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Ground Picture/Shutterstock.com