You’ve probably heard stories of cats acting strangely right before a natural disaster strikes or some other danger occurs1. Their behavior seems to warn of impending peril, almost like they have a sixth sense about it.
But is this just an old wives’ tale, or can cats really sense danger before humans?
How Cats Use Their Senses to Detect Danger
Cats have highly developed senses that allow them to navigate their world with ease.
In fact, cats have over 200 million odor sensors in their noses, (ref) giving them an incredible sense of smell that is 14 times stronger than humans. This superpower schnoz helps cats identify people, objects, and changes in their environment that could signal danger.
Types of Danger Can Cats Sense
So what exactly sets off a cat’s danger radar? Quite a few things, it turns out.
Natural Disasters
Cats may become agitated or try to hide before earthquakes, storms, and floods due to their ability to sense subtle vibrations and pressure changes in the environment.
Fires and Gas Leaks
Cats’ powerful sense of smell also allows them to detect smoke and gas leaks before humans, potentially saving lives.
Human Illness
Some cat owners even believe their feline friends can sense when a person is about to die, possibly due to chemical changes in the body.
“Bad Energy”
If you’ve ever seen your cat react strongly to a certain person, they may be picking up on negative intentions through body language and other cues.
How You Can Tell if Your Cat Senses Danger
Pay close attention to your cat’s behavior, as it can provide clues that they are sensing something amiss. Common signs a cat detects danger include:
- Loud meowing or yowling
- Unnatural, aggressive, or fearful actions
- Hiding or attempting to escape
- Pinned back ears, raised fur, crouched posture
- Swishing tail
- Staring, moving slowly, then fleeing
If you notice any of these danger signals, take a moment to assess the situation and see if you can identify what has spooked your kitty.
How Cats Respond to Perceived Threats
If a cat feels seriously threatened, they may take flight and run to escape or hide, especially from predators. Bold cats might choose to fight instead, taking a defensive stance to face the danger head-on.
It’s important to note that even non-threatening stimuli can trigger a fear response in cats due to their natural hypervigilance.
So if your kitty suddenly freaks out over a cucumber or a ceiling fan, don’t worry – they’re just being a cat!
Can Cats Sense Human Emotions?
One study found that cats integrate visual and vocal cues to understand emotional expressions like happiness and anger in both humans and other cats. The cats demonstrated this by looking at the face that matched the emotional sound being played. (ref)
Cats also show more positive behaviors like purring and rubbing against their owners when the person is smiling versus frowning, suggesting they can functionally interpret human emotions.
This skill likely developed over thousands of years of domestication, allowing cats to strengthen their bond with humans by being attuned to our emotional states.
Feline Intuition: A Powerful (& Mysterious) Gift
Cats’ extraordinary senses and uncanny ability to detect changes in their environment make them uniquely attuned to potential dangers.
So the next time your cat suddenly bolts out of the room or starts meowing at a wall, just remember: they might be protecting you from unseen forces…or they might have spotted a speck of dust. With cats, you never really know!
Source
1. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220211-the-animals-that-predict-disasters
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Nancy has been a plant person from an early age. That interest blossomed into a bachelor’s in biology from Elmira College and a master’s degree in horticulture and communications from the University of Kentucky. Nancy worked in plant taxonomy at the University of Florida and the L. H. Bailey Hortorium at Cornell University, and wrote and edited gardening books at Rodale Press in Emmaus, PA. Her interests are plant identification, gardening, hiking, and reading.