Scalded cat, scalded fish.

Gato escaldado del agua fria huye.

The proverb says that a scalded cat avoids even cold water. But all our pity goes to the poor little fish that encountered an even worse fate.

Cats are afraid of water, but they have a curious nature. They can be coaxed, they can be lured to a body of water. If they end up scalded, there will most certainly be hurt feelings. Probably disappointment. But nothing that cannot be licked and easily forgotten. Those are the benefits of being an aloof creature. But fish are different. They cannot live out of water. Water is all their life. If water were to scald them, it wouldn’t just be disappointment, it wouldn’t just be heartbreak. It would be the worst kind of betrayal. One that no amount of licking would ever be able to repair.