It’s no secret that cats and water don’t mix. In fact, there’s a stereotype about cats that says they hate water and swimming! Aside from drinking water, they prefer to stay dry.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and this is no different. There are several documented instances of cats enjoying water, like one feline who loves sprinklers and another cat who enjoys swimming.
Recently, a cat named Roger made a splash on the Internet when he learned how to swim in an unexpected way!
Roger’s owner, Hannah, is a sailboat captain, and she introduced Roger to life on her sailboat when he was just a tiny kitten. He grew up on the boat, and it’s what he knows. Even so, she wasn’t expecting him to get comfortable with water. After all, cats don’t typically enjoying getting wet.
But in an adorable twist, Roger actually dove into the water unexpectedly and started to swim on his own!
In a video shared on TikTok, you can see Roger and Hannah using an inflatable boat to get back to their sailboat. They’re almost to the sailboat when Roger hops up on the edge and jumps in!
Hannah captioned the video, “The day I learned roger is an excellent swimmer.”
Check it out below:
Hannah shared in a follow-up video that Roger was just fine after his impromptu dip in the water.
It wasn’t his first time in the water, but he usually wears a life jacket, so she wasn’t aware he could actually swim until that point.
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
