Pressure Cookers & Cats

Discussion in Pets started by ohiotom76 • Jul 19, 2015.

  1. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

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    All three of my cats were in the kitchen today, laying around on our kitchen table, as I was making a batch of chicken soup in our electric pressure cooker. I was thinking maybe I should carry them all into another room before I open the steam valve - which typically scares the crap out of them, and I feel bad for stressing them out like that. But for whatever reason I didn't and just opened the valve when the cooking was done - and two of the three cats jumped several feet in the air and bolted out of the room in terror.

    Strangely one of our cats, is unfazed by the loud noise and just sat there, looking at the other cats like they were nuts or something. This is about the second or third time I've used the pressure cooker, and released the steam when she was in the room, and she didn't even flinch. I'm almost starting to wonder if perhaps she's deaf, or if she just genuinely is not scared of the device any more. She will take off though when we use stuff like a vacuum cleaner - but I don't know if she's more scared by the vibrations from it, or can actually hear how loud it is.

    Some other things that freak them out - when I had the SodaStream, it makes a really loud and jarring noise when you press the button on it to carbonate the water. Also, we have an air compressor in our garage which will periodically start up on it's own, and it has a really loud engine. For some reason one or all of them always seem to be walking past the door right when it kicks on, and they all jump up in the air and dart away, lol.
     
  2. Corzhens

    CorzhensWell-Known Member

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    Animals and even people are sensitive to some sounds. A vet even asked me once - who is not afraid of thunder? For the pressure cooker, I would suggest that you keep your cats away before you open it with that expected scary sound to them. When there are fireworks here, we keep our dogs inside a room with a blaring radio so they wouldn't be stressed with the cracking sound of the fireworks.
     
  3. Diane Lane

    Diane LaneWell-Known Member

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    Yes, as @Corzhens@Corzhens mentioned, some of us are more sensitive to sounds than others, and they could be responding to a change in pressure, as well. Cats can sense things we humans don't always notice, and it could have been something like that. I'd definitely keep them out of the way in the future. I'd also investigate to see if the one cat actually is deaf or hard of hearing. Does s/he appear to simply be a very calm cat? Even changes in barometric pressure affect my cats, as well as me, since they cause migraines and body aches, so I can usually tell when the weather is changing, because I get achy, and the cats get restless.
     
  4. Pat

    PatWell-Known Member

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    Animals are very sensitive to sound and I would think like people some more than others. I am very sensitive to sound and it does not bother my daughter at all. We lived no to far from a train track and the sound from the train would keep me awake at night, my daughter did not hear a thing. The sound of cars going by on the freeway is not something I like to hear either. Your poor kitties, they will need their nine lives if you keep scaring them.
     
  5. gata montes

    gata montesActive Member

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    I too would say the same as others have done - in that - although the majority of animals are traumatized by loud noise – which is not surprising as they can hear sounds much louder than the human ear can - their sensitivity to loud noises seems to vary and to very different degrees too and have noticed its sometimes not the sound - but the vibration or even just the movement that goes along with the sound that seems to distress them and especially so when it comes to cats.

    So bearing in mind that cats hear at much higher frequencies than us and can also hear sounds at much greater distances and have remarkably well designed ears compared to ours - for example - unlike us, they don't need to put their paws over their ears whenever they encounter loud noise - as they have a protective mechanism instead - where tiny muscles in the middle ear contract to lower the volume and protect their inner ear - whenever their ears detect loud noises.

    As sudden loud noises like fireworks or the noise of the pressure cooker letting off steam - happens way too quickly for this protective mechanism to kick in - it means that - if those noises are loud to us - they must be horrendous for a cat - which is all the more reason to protect them from sudden loud noises as best we can.

    Which brings me to - although it may just be that you have one cat that doesn't mind the sound of your pressure cooker - I would agree with what Diane Lane has said - that it might well be a good idea to get your cat checked out - just to make sure that its not deaf or hard of hearing - particularly as it may not be the sound of the vacuum cleaner that distresses it or freaks it out - but the vibration or even the movement and especially the latter when it comes to the vacuum cleaner - I mean just look at it from a cat's point of view - having a giant monster raging around the house chasing you from room to room and blocking your every escape route - must be pretty scary.
     
  6. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    My cat also hates loud noises, and if I'm the cause of the loud noise, then he doesn't run away, he warns me by rubbing up on me and meowing loudly at me, and finally attacking me. He does that when I talk on the phone or when I'm arguing with people at home.
     
  7. Theo

    TheoWell-Known Member

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    Cats are individual like humans; some will react and others won't. I was cat sitting for my friend and one of the cats is so dumb and does stupid things and the other is bright. One reacts to things and the other just lies there and does nothing. Let them be, as long as the door is open they can leave and go to another room.
     
  8. troutski

    troutskiWell-Known Member

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    Not all cats are scared of loud noises or sudden surprises. Some of them will sit there like nothing is happening even if everyone and everything else is freaking out. It's always amusing to see a cat that isn't amused or startled by such events. They're often the best cats because they're so relaxed. ;) My cat isn't afraid of the vacuum cleaner for whatever reason, and that always surprises people because she just walks around it like it's a boring object.