People have long surrounded themselves with pets - helpers in everyday life and breadwinners. Observing their behavior also helped to learn about changes in the atmosphere. Among animals close to humans, the undisputed leader in the accuracy of weather determination is the cat.
The lucky owners of furry weather forecasters do not need to look into smartphone applications, study meteorological sites on the Internet, or watch guide forecasts on TV. It is enough just to be attentive to your pet.
How do cats sense weather changes?
Scientists have not been able to find out for sure what causes cats’ natural sensitivity to weather changes. However, there are several hypotheses on this matter:
- The cat's eardrum is sensitive to changes in atmospheric pressure. When severe pressure changes are expected, the cat scratches its ear with its paw to relieve discomfort.
- Atmospheric pressure affects the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, causing cats to drink more fluid.
- The animal's skin is able to sense changes in temperature and humidity.
In addition, it has long been known that cats sense natural disasters: hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes; they become nervous and restless, often leaving their homes.
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How cats predict the weather
Cats are perhaps the most popular pets. They improve your mood, calm your nerves and, they say, sometimes even heal. However, this is not all the skills of domestic fluffies - they can predict the weather.
Of course, your beloved cat is not a thermometer or barometer to measure temperature/pressure with an accuracy of 1 degree/millimeter of mercury. All representatives of the cat family are able to predict weather changes (especially sudden ones) - by observing their behavior, you can understand when it will rain, snow (blizzard) or severe frost will hit.
If it's warm
If there is a sudden warming, the cat will form a semicircle in its sleep. By a slight warming, the animal will arch a little more. If hot and sunny weather is expected, the cat’s body stretches into an even line. The animal will sit by the window for a long time or ask to go outside if the weather is good. There is an old Russian saying: when a cat starts rolling on the floorboards, wait for warmth.
There is a logical explanation for this behavior of pets: cats sense changes in air humidity much earlier than people, their bodies prepare for the upcoming warmth. The more the animal opens the surface of its body, the larger the heat transfer area becomes.
Who is more accurate?
According to observations, a more accurate picture of immediate changes in the weather is given by cats that walk in the yard during the day and eat and sleep at home.
They have a well-developed instinct of self-preservation and their receptors for communication with the environment are more active. It is easier to watch pussies that are always at home, but spoiled by constant attention, they can arch their backs, roll on the floor, and purr loudly simply with pleasure. It is better to look at them in a dream, paying attention to the duration of sleep, posture, and sounds.
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Any cat reacts violently to serious disasters, storms, earthquakes, storms, floods and the like. The individuality in the behavior of your beloved charges must also be taken into account, the owners always know this.
If it's cold
When cold weather is expected, the cat will look for a high and warm place in the house where it will go to sleep, curled up in a ball. This could be a radiator or a fireplace, in which case the cat will sit with its back to the heat. She will cover her nose with her paw and her muzzle with her tail. When it gets colder, the animal will ask to be held and happily sit on the owner’s lap.
When nothing predicts worsening weather
The cat behaves naturally when the weather does not promise change. Calm, even weather calms the cat, it becomes soft, accommodating and playful (the degree depends on its character).
The romantic nature dictates that cats stay in a relaxed position, for example, on their back with their paws apart and their head raised up. In such cases they say: at least sleep on it! The cat does not react to movements around it, it is not irritated by others. She considers an interesting pastime to be sitting on a window, veranda or balcony and observing the world around her.
If it snows
Many cat owners notice that for a long time the animal cannot find a comfortable position for sleeping: spinning, shifting from one side to the other. This cat behavior may indicate an approaching blizzard and snowfall. Before a strong snowstorm, your pet may run restlessly around the apartment and jump on furniture. If an animal fluffs its tail and licks it for a long time, you need to prepare for snowy weather. It is even believed that you can predict the direction of the wind by turning a cat's head while washing.
Are all cats weather dependent?
It turns out that an outdoor cat can predict weather changes better. It is in her body that the reflex of self-defense and self-preservation is more developed. By observing such cats, we will learn whether it is worth preparing for climate change and planning weather-dependent events.
Often spoiled pets simply enjoy their privileged position, throwing their paws to the sides, lifting their heads, and also lying on their backs, arching their backs. This posture has nothing to do with identifying weather patterns, and to learn about them, you need to turn to the appropriate resources. The predictors from such cats are so-so, except in particularly pressing cases.
If you still try to create an opinion about such cats as predictors, you need to observe them in their sleep: what position they take, the sounds they make, the nature of their sleep, its duration, and so on. How can you tell if she is sleeping peacefully? Try to stir her up. A relaxed, calm cat will not immediately wake up and perk up quickly.
The concepts of cat and weather in such cases have little connection, although at the reflex level everything is possible.
The described facts about cats are a common characteristic feature of this biological species. However, a cat and the weather are an individual concept. Today you can read many examples about the cat and how he predicted important events. Thus, watching the cat, sailors on ships learned about an approaching storm, and residents of seismological regions of the Earth learned about an incipient earthquake.
Such situations cannot have state classification codes; they are unique. Animals come to the rescue at the most necessary and decisive moment. And for this you need to be grateful to Mother Nature and your pets.
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Cats and natural disasters
There are many known cases where a cat warns its family of impending danger. Residents of earthquake-prone areas often notice that before an earthquake, animals become restless, try to find shelter, ask to go outside, become excited and press their ears to their heads. Animals often meow for no reason, trying to tell their owner that something is wrong. The most weather-dependent individuals leave their homes several days before the disaster.
Scientists explain this behavior by the increased sensitivity of cats to the slightest changes in pressure and slight underground vibrations, which the most precise instruments cannot detect. Pets may also react to the increase in static electricity that always precedes an earthquake.
From time immemorial, cats have been considered faithful companions and helpers of humans. These animals not only rid your home of unwanted pests, but can also predict the weather. If you treat your pet with care, you can know with confidence what awaits you on the street tomorrow.
How does this happen?
The weather for a cat is determined based on observations of its behavior. Many owners of these animals do not perceive them as meteorologists. However, for those who are attentive, there is no doubt: the cat and the weather are interrelated concepts. There are behavioral features that are characteristic of all cats when the weather changes. So, if the cat sleeps for a long time, wait for a sharp change in the weather.
The heat will be replaced by cold weather and vice versa. Another way an animal can react to upcoming changes is by intensively sharpening its claws on furniture upholstery, pillows, and special items for this purpose.
Other weather changes are also visible from the cat. It will very clearly react to the upcoming rain, snow, hail and other precipitation. It would seem unexpectedly, the cat begins to wash itself, lick its fur with its tongue, sneeze and drink a lot of water. Some individuals begin to scratch their ears. You should not be afraid of this, this is not a symptom of the disease, but just a specific meteorological reaction of such a sensitive animal.
What allows a cat to know the weather?
Folk signs have scientific confirmation. Scientists do not fully understand the mechanisms that allow a cat to react to upcoming warming or cooling, precipitation or strong winds.
The researchers suggest that:
Perhaps these mechanisms allow pets to reliably broadcast the weather forecast to the outside world. Or maybe there is something else - cats are the most mysterious of the creatures living with humans.
Livestock
Signs about weather about animals can be interpreted by livestock:
- Horses can predict events outside the window by their behavior. If the horse wheezes and falls to the ground, expect bad weather.
- If sheep and rams are hitting their foreheads, expect a strong wind.
- It is possible to determine the weather by the behavior of pigs. If there is a storm, the animals take straw, bury themselves in it and press tightly against each other. This is what many other animals do when it gets cold.
Cows can predict the weather forecast. To do this, you need to keep an eye on the cattle overnight. If a cow eats and drinks a lot, it will rain in the morning.
Signs with insects
You will be surprised, but you can find out the weather not only by animals, but also by observing insects, because they are also sensitive to its changes. If there are a lot of spiders, then the weather will be good and stable, but if they are not visible at all, a thunderstorm is expected. Wet weather is also indicated by a spider sitting motionless in the middle of the web.
Before a hot day, flies appear in the morning, but before it gets cold, they hardly appear. If there are a lot of beetles in the spring, then the summer will be dry. And if you accidentally see a swarm of dragonflies, then expect precipitation in the next few hours. The chirping of grasshoppers and bright fireflies foretell good weather for the whole day.
Why cats predict the weather: scientists' opinion
There are several plausible explanations as to why tailed pets can predict weather changes. The two most popular hypotheses are:
The cat's skin senses changes in air humidity. Thanks to this, you can tell how the weather will behave during the day.
Perhaps there are other mechanisms for the relationship between the cat’s body and future weather changes. Observe your animal how it behaves before a sudden change in weather.
Stay at home!
Such unpleasant unpleasant atmospheric phenomena as strong winds and snowstorms are usually accompanied by a sharp jump in atmospheric pressure, which cats feel much better than people. The sensations that she experiences are comparable to those we feel on an airplane - her ears are blocked.
Of course, this gives the cat little pleasure, and therefore she begins to behave restlessly: she spins around in her sleep, constantly changing her position, she can nervously sharpen her claws on the carpet or furniture, run around the room, jumping on all the heights.
Weather in Omsk
Cats are considered mystical creatures; in many cultures they were divine animals, and this is not without reason, because they are endowed with unique knowledge and abilities, including, in some cases, they can, by their behavior, let one know about an upcoming cold snap or warming, or anticipate a snow storm or earthquake .
The best weather forecasters are stray cats who only come home to eat and sleep. In particular, by your pet’s posture you can determine whether cold weather or warming is coming. If a cat sleeps with its tummy up, the bend of its body forms an arc of more than 180 degrees, this is a signal of imminent warming. The cat also reports an increase in temperature when it sits on the windowsill with its muzzle to the glass, when it washes its hair with its paw.
By the way, for those who do not have a pet, the long-term weather forecast presented on our website or the customizable multilingual weather widget wetter widget, kindly provided by our foreign partner, are quite suitable.
If a cat curls up into a ball and pinches its nose with its paw, looking for a place on the radiator or near a live fire, then this behavior indicates the oncoming cold. Also, a pet can bask near the body or on the owner’s lap, while it will try to hide its nose and paws in the warmth, burying itself in its tail or in a person. The mechanism is the same - a drop in temperature is coming, and the cat tries to keep warm.
And now back to the cat's forecast. If the wind blows soon and the weather changes, the cat may turn in its sleep from side to side, as well as cross its paws against the wall or furniture, and fluff its tail. It could also mean a severe snowstorm or storm. In a stormy wind, a cat can rush restlessly around the apartment and jump on high furniture, expressing anxiety in every possible way.
By the time it rains, the cat will eat grass, lick its tail and drink plenty of water. All these actions also reduce the consequences of fluctuations in atmospheric pressure, such as heaviness in the stomach, dehydration, and the reaction of the vestibular apparatus.
Cats behave most excitedly before an earthquake; their hair on the back of their neck can stand on end, they press their ears back, and they can meow loudly and anxiously. The cat ranks first among animal seismologists, this is a huge advantage for humans, because it always lives next to him.
To the blizzard and storm
If the cat cannot sleep peacefully, constantly fidgets, spins and wakes up, expect disturbance in the elements. Outside of dreams, the mustache will run around the house and jump onto higher objects. Some pets begin to zealously scratch various objects or scratching posts, depending on their upbringing.
A fluffy and carefully licked tail warns of an imminent blizzard. According to popular belief, the wind will blow in the direction in which the cat turns its head while washing itself.
Active drinking and chewing grass before rain
Anticipating the onset of precipitation, the domestic cat begins to increasingly approach the water bowl. At this moment she will not refuse the freshly picked grass. The approaching rain is also indicated by the fact that the cat began to actively lick its tail and wash its ears. Take an umbrella with you when leaving home if your pet sneezes. All these actions (chewing, drinking water, sneezing and licking) reduce tension in the stomach, which is caused by changes in atmospheric pressure.
There have been different times in history. Sometimes cats could even be exterminated for their ability to predict the weather: it was believed that they were the ones who invited terrible hurricanes and heavy downpours. Fortunately, in the modern world, people’s ideas have changed dramatically: representatives of the cat family are not only our friends, but also faithful helpers.
It'll get warmer soon
At any time of the year, you will know about an approaching slight increase in air temperature if the cat sleeps, bending in a small arc, at an angle of approximately 270°.
If there is sharp warming ahead, then the arc will resemble a semicircle, but before the African heat, the cat will sleep on its back, with its paws outstretched, sometimes even on the floor.
This is explained by the fact that, sensing fluctuations in atmospheric pressure and humidity, the cat’s body turns on thermoregulatory mechanisms. By lying flat, the animal increases the heat transfer of its body to avoid overheating.
