Okay, do you have 2 minutes to watching cucumbers scaring the crap out of cats?
Those cats must have heard about cat and cucumber stew.
Pointless, mundane and funny.
Those cats must have heard about cat and cucumber stew.
Whatever would possess someone to make them think “Wonder what happens if I put a cucumber next to the cat?” And then to record it for posterity…
But, yeah, kinda funny. 
I did it to my cats -lower the lights and see if they don’t act like a snake has creeped up on them. Good fun- all over youtube.
I’ve seen that video before.
I often give my cats the ends of cucumbers to play with, since they’re always interested in whatever it is I’m cutting up on the counter, and gnawing on a bit of cucumber isn’t going to hurt them. They bat it around the kitchen floor for awhile, then get bored and I throw it out. No cat of my acquaintance has ever regarded a cucumber with alarm–but then I’ve never lobbed a full one at them.
So many vertical videos. I believe the battle has been lost.
I wish I still had a cat. This calls for experimentation. I know my dog will just take the cucumber and eat it.
Check this subreddit, nothin’ but cukes & cats.
I think a more scientific study of the phenomenon would be interesting. It’s tempting to speculate that it’s an evolved response to snakes or something, but it might just be a more generic response to strange unexpected objects of any shape.