Why did my bunny costume scare my cat so much?

October 29, 2004 5:24 PM

Is my cat possessed or did a large bunny kill her parents? (More inside.)

Last night, my friends and I went Halloween costume shopping. I bought bunny ears and a tail and a bowtie. We came back to my apartment and modelled our costumes for each other. My cat watched us peacefully. When I put on my bunny ears, a sudden change came over her...

Her hair stood on end. Her eyes turned into large black spheres. She began to hiss and tremble. She made this HORRIBLE low rumbling noise that was completely unlike any noise that's ever come out of her. Much like a dog it was like a low growl (and she normally has a high pitched voice) that sounded something like RRRROWWWW RRRROW. It was really, truly, horribly scary.

Obviously, I took the ears off and she recovered. But can anyone suggest why in the world she had this reaction? I feel like I'm in a Stephen King novel!

posted by adrober to pets & animals (7 answers total)

You've seen Donny Darko right?
posted by Pretty_Generic at 5:49 AM on October 30, 2004

My guess is that you were still you to her (due to your smell) but you didn't look right and that freaked her out. I've had the same reaction from my beasties when trying on a wig or a hat.
posted by deborah at 11:13 AM on October 30, 2004

Cats can read an increase in size as a threat, and then go on the defensive. Sounds like your cat displayed a pretty classic defensive reaction. Either that or she just doesn't buy that "Wot? It's just a rabbit!" crap.
posted by caitlinb at 11:14 AM on October 30, 2004

What deborah and caitlinb said: your shape changed radically and it freaked her out (one of my dogs used to completely flip out if I wrapped my hair in a towel after washing it). Nothing to do with rabbits, everything to do with you suddenly looking like a monster to her (which is a good thing for a Halloween costume, right?).
posted by biscotti at 12:04 PM on October 30, 2004

Must be the shape thing. One of my cats freaks out when I put on my waxed cotton hat (kind of an Aussie-looking thing with a brim all the way around.) He's also the big muscley bully of my four cats, but he's an utter coward in the face of large headware.
posted by Shane at 4:48 PM on October 30, 2004

Our cat freaks out whenever he sees any representation of a cat, even a black halloween cat silhouette. Cat statues, cats printed on bags, asian "lucky cats," it's all the same.

Maybe she things you're an enormous cat?
posted by jpburns at 8:33 AM on October 31, 2004

Maybe she's Anya (from "Buffy") reincarnated? :-)
posted by Asparagirl at 1:59 PM on October 31, 2004