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My cats are pretty stereotypically afraid of my vacuum. As soon as they see me getting ready to use it, they'll jump up. The second it gets turned on, they're bolting to the other room.

I watch movies and play video games that make sudden loud noises, so it doesn't seem likely to me that the vacuum is scary because it's loud. Is there something else about the noise that's scary? I was thinking maybe the frequency was at a certain level that only bothers cats, like how humans can't hear dog whistles.

What is it about vacuums that are so scary?

JoshDM
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Spidercat
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2 Answers2

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Most vacuum cleaners emit a white-noise like sound - this encompasses a wide range of frequencies, including higher pitches. Most animals are startled by it at loud ranges. Given the volume of most vacuums, it is startling for most cats.

As a previous poster noted, it's possible to train a cat (or dog) to become accustomed to some sounds if done from an early age and consistently. Due to physical differences in sensitivity, it would appear this has a differing impact on cats across the board.

I have three cats that are terrified of any vacuum. I have a friend whose cat begged to BE vacuumed given it's long hair and, essentially, the lazy bathing from the process.

To further test, I would recommend using sounds of similar frequency (other mechnical objects) to see if it has the same impact. If you have a decibel meter (or a smartphone app) you can also see if the cat is startled by similarly loud sounds. You would have to measure distance, environment, etc. also to see if it's more about the loudness than the frequencies.

Jenothy
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This is an agreement / elaboration on the other people who said it is "noisy" (ratchet freak, Jenothy, symbol)... cats have a more sensitive sense of hearing then we do. Can you hear someone pop the plastic reaseal lid on a can of cat food when one floor up or down (probably not)? A vacuum to them is like a jet engine to us. In general most (not all) cats can't stand it. The ones who do put up with it are usually (not always) older cats who have sustained hearing loss due to the aging process.

Dan S
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