Maine Coon enjoys paddling in a lake

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This is a video of a beautiful Maine Coon (calico - tortie-and-white) who is exploring the water in a lake for the first time. His gentle owners apparently wanted him to experience water in this way. I think it's a great idea. You can see him (I am presuminng that this cat is a male for the sake of convenience in writing this article) pawing at the water as if to test it and play with it. The substance is novel to him and he's not quite sure about it. He gingerly goes into the water for the same reason. It's all brand-new to him. His entire life has been spent on dry land and here he is half-immersed in the liquid. 

Screenshot from video below

It gave me the idea that when Maine Coons play with the water in their water bowls they're doing it because they are interested in it and they're a bit unsure about it as a substance. Yes, they drink it instinctively but as a substance in its own right they are unsure about it and therefore they are testing it and playing with it to see what it does. I think that's a good answer to the question of why domestic cats play with their water. I've never seen that answer before but it came to me having looked at this video. 

It's a really cute and gentle video. I'm all in favour of taking domestic cats out on leads to new places because it awakens them to a new area of their life and enriches their lives. We have a duty to do that provided we do it safely.

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