Regula Gnãgi lives near San Diego, California, with her 2-year-old black cat named Floh—German for flea. While digging through old kitten photos, Gnãgi stumbled on the picture of a tiny Floh the first time she saw the bathtub and shared it on Reddit’s popular r/aww forum.
The dislike of water is perhaps one of the most well-known characteristics of the domesticated cat—but this isn’t true of all felines, in fact, many large cats like lions or tigers often head to water to cool off.
But the reason our feline friends aren’t keen on a dip can be traced back to their ancestry. Anna Ewers Clark, veterinary research and standards lead at U.K. pet charity Blue Cross, previously told Newsweek: “Historically, cats lived in dry, desert environments which means they weren’t adapted to swim or spend time in water, and this trait has passed down to many of our domestic cats.”
While most cats will share an aversion to water, others are known to enjoy it. In fact, there is evidence that breeds including Maine Coon, Bengal, and Turkish Van are more likely to tolerate the water.
Gnãgi’s adorable kitten picture has captured attention on Reddit with thousands of upvotes as a small Floh is pictured with paws up on the side of the tub and looking incredibly concerned for her owner while she takes a bath.
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The amused owner told Newsweek: “I had to laugh so hard. I have no idea why she looked so worried—I guess she thought I could drown? Or she probably was just curious because of the foam.”
Other viewers of the adorable image on Reddit headed to share their reactions and stories of their own feline friend’s water antics.
“Our tub drains a little slow; so my most hilarious cat moment was when my kitten that had never been in the water blindly jumped into the tub, next level zoomies,” said one comment.
Another Redditor wrote: “Mine went hysterical the first time when he saw me in the bathtub, he looked at me and started howling as if saying ‘Jesus Christ what did you do?’”
Now a little older a wiser, Floh is now much more at peace with the bathtub. “She loves the water now,” said Gnãgi. “She even comes into the bathtub if the water isn’t too deep—she steps in and hunts bubbles she produces by tapping into the water.”
Delighted by the reaction online as cat lovers shared their joy at the picture, Gnãgi is glad that people have enjoyed the picture of Floh. “I went through the baby pictures of our two kittens to make a little video, and I saw this one and had a good laugh again and wanted to share it so that others can laugh too. I didn’t expect people to love it that much,” she said.
