Cats Sense Earthquake Seconds Before Tremors Hit
Source: © Shutterstock
People have been speculating about the power of various animals to predict earthquakes as well as other natural disasters for centuries and centuries. In part, this is because people like to append all sorts of unusual phenomenon to disastrous occurrences, which is a natural part of how narratives can change in the retelling. However, it should also be noted that there definitely seems to be some truth to these stories, seeing as some animals possess some senses that are far superior to those of their human counterparts. Due to this, it should come as no surprise to learn that there are some animals such as cats that seem to be able to pick up on the signs of an earthquake before humans can do the same, which is something that their owners will want to keep in mind when they see their beloved companions exhibit unusual behaviors.
How Do Cats Predict Earthquakes?
At this point in time, no one knows for sure how cats are able to predict earthquakes. However, there are a lot of reports of cats showing signs of concern for hours and hours before earthquakes hit, with examples ranging from them seeking out hiding spots to them making excessive vocalization. In some cases, there are stories of cat exhibiting strange behavior days and days before earthquakes, though for obvious reasons, getting good information out of said stories is a challenge to say the least.
Currently, there are a number of lines of speculation about how cats are predicting earthquakes. For example, there are numerous animals species that are sensitive to the magnetic fields of the Earth. As a result, one line of speculation is that cats are sensitive to the changes in the magnetic fields of the Earth caused by earthquakes, which tells them that something bad is happening. Meanwhile, another line of speculation is that cats have superior senses that enable them to pick up on the faster P-waves emitted as a result of earthquakes, thus giving them advance warning whenever something along these lines happen.
Whatever the case, cats showing odd behavior before earthquakes are just some examples of the general stories about animals showing odd behavior before earthquakes, which go back for millennia. For example, Greek historians record that rats, snakes, and even weasels abandoned the city of Helice before it was devastated by an earthquake in 373 BC, which is very similar to other pre-earthquake stories that have been told in the centuries since. Likewise, there are other stories that claim everything from chickens refusing to lay their eggs to bees abandoning their hives in what looks like a panic to human eyes. Currently, there are some scientists who are interested in looking into such stories to see whether there are some solid facts that can be established, but so far, this is still very much an investigation in progress. However, it should be noted that stories about the odd behavior of animals before earthquakes tend to be more interesting to scientists in Japan and China compared to their counterparts in the United States, who tend to be a bit more skeptical about the whole thing.
What Can You Do for Your Cat in the Event of Earthquakes?
Some people might be tempted to use their cats as some kind of earthquake predictor. If so, they should know that this is a bad idea. In part, this is because cats can be scared about a wide range of potential problems, meaning that there is no simple and straightforward way to tell when they are spooked by an incoming earthquake than some other issue. However, it should also be noted that cats can suffer from anxiety as well as related issues in much the same manner as humans, meaning that this can add further confusion to the whole mess.
Instead, when people think that their cats are scared, they should do their best to keep an eye on them. This is because scared cats have higher tendencies of running off, which can toss in a lot of unnecessary complications at a very bad time. Something that is particularly true if an earthquake is indeed coming. One other useful approach might be distracting the cat from their fears, whether by playing a game with them or by offering them a meal to take their mind off of things.
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image sources
- Earthquake: © Shutterstock