My Cat Can Predict Earthquakes?

[appleguy123]

I've noticed something odd about my cat. Sometimes he will just freak out and not stop meowing for days on end (he has a very loud meow, as he is part snow leopard).
He always does this about 3 days before a major earthquake, and never at any other time. Just the time I can remember, he did this before the 2004 Tsunami, the New Zealand earthquake, and now the Japan earthquake.
Do you think that there's something to this, or just a coincidence?

 

[fireshot91]

I'd say there's something to it.


Animals have a sense about natural disasters.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

I'm tempted to say that it's just coincidence.

 

[TwoSocEmBoppers]

Now if he could only tell you location!!!!

 

[v66jack]

I'd say he was related to that Octopus that could predict who would win the world cup football matches. Animals are weird like that.

 

[appleguy123]

I'm tempted to say that it's just coincidence.

Me too, but I find it curious.

 

[cantthinkofone]

...he has a very loud meow, as he is part snow leopard.

Part snow leopard? Picture please sir.

 

[appleguy123]

Part snow leopard? Picture please sir.

I posted a few in this thread, so you can check those out.
I'll work on uploading some current ones asap.
I've got some from my Facebook.

 

[iJohnHenry]

I posted a few in this thread, so you can check those out.
I'll work on uploading some current ones asap.
I've got some from my Facebook.

He looks big. Is he a Maine Coon??

Cats are one with The Force. Accept it.

 

[v66jack]

Just out of interest, the one that looks like he's in a baking tray. What is he actually in? (I presume he, sorry if it's a girl)

 

[appleguy123]

Just out of interest, the one that looks like he's in a baking tray. What is he actually in? (I presume he, sorry if it's a girl)

It's sleeping in its litter box lol. That was the only time he did that. Weird.

 

[appleguy123]

He looks big. Is he a Maine Coon??

Cats are one with The Force. Accept it.

I don't think so.
When we bought him, the ad said 'Snow Leopard Bengals'.

 

[184550]

Eh, when my parents lived on the Aleutian Islands, their beagles would always howl before an earthquake.

 

[v66jack]

It's sleeping in its litter box lol. That was the only time he did that. Weird.

Don't suppose you can link him sleeping in the litter tray with some form of event. I don't know, people walking on the moon or anything?

 

[iJohnHenry]

I don't think so.
When we bought him, the ad said 'Snow Leopard Bengals'.

Oh, the "ad"!

Still, if he is a Maine Coon, the males can go 25 pounds, easy.

Very nice cats, with a disposition more like a dog actually.

 

[appleguy123]

Oh, the "ad"!

Still, if he is a Maine Coon, the males can go 25 pounds, easy.

Very nice cats, with a disposition more like a dog actually.

I just looked up those cats. Mine isn't anywhere near that big(he's about 5" bigger than your average domestic cat). Still, those look really cool.

 

[Apple OC]

Animals can definitely predict Earthquakes ... usually locally though and not on the other side of the earth. Interesting enough to keep a eye out for it.

BTW ... he's a good looking fella

check out the size of this Maine Coon

 

[steve2112]

I've noticed something odd about my cat. Sometimes he will just freak out and not stop meowing for days on end (he has a very loud meow, as he is part snow leopard).

So, how was the upgrade from Leopard? How long did it take to upgrade him?

(What? I'm surprised nobody made this joke already!)

 

[localoid]

The "psychological focusing effect"

Quoting from the article, Can Animals Sense Earthquakes?, at NationalGeographic.com...

Sheldrake did his own study looking at animal reactions before major tremors, including the Northridge, California, quake in 1994, and the Greek and Turkish quakes in 1999.

In all cases, he said, there were reports of peculiar behavior beforehand, including dogs howling in the night mysteriously, caged birds becoming restless, and nervous cats hiding.

Geologists, however, dismiss these kinds of reports, saying it's "the psychological focusing effect," where people remember strange behaviors only after an earthquake or other catastrophe has taken place. If nothing had happened, they contend, people would not have remembered the strange behavior.

That said, I do believe most animals pay more attention to the sounds, sights, and smells of the natural world than (self-absorbed) humans typically do... For example, if I were to go exploring one of the many of the old abandoned coal mines in the area, and the rats that live there started running out of the mine, I would be inclined to get the hell out of there.

 

[yg17]

Animals can definitely predict Earthquakes ... usually locally though and not on the other side of the earth. Interesting enough to keep a eye out for it.

BTW ... he's a good looking fella

check out the size of this Maine Coon

That is one big hairy *****.

Edit: Dammit. It's not as funny with asterisks. And yes, I know it wasn't funny to begin with.

 

[appleguy123]

Quoting from the article, Can Animals Sense Earthquakes?, at NationalGeographic.com...



That said, I do believe most animals pay more attention to the sounds, sights, and smells of the natural world than (self-absorbed) humans typically do... For example, if I were to go exploring one of the many of the old abandoned coal mines in the area, and the rats that live there started running out of the mine, I would be inclined to get the hell out of there.

This is exactly what I was thinking. Because my window of 'about 3 days' is very big, but also I don't remember him acting this way at any other times.

 

[iBlue]

I would tend to think it's less of a coincidence if you were living near the locations of these earthquakes because they may be able to physically sense things (low frequency noise?) that we and our instruments cannot.

I will say though that my dog started acting notably strange several hours before the Northridge earthquake. (I lived less than 10 miles from the epicenter at the time.) She'd bark, hide, run up and hide again, almost as though she wanted me to follow her to her hiding spot. It was really bizarre and I remember it well but it was only 4:30am that it violently occurred to me why she was acting like that. So I think there's some merit to the theory.