Are Cats Reliable Weather Forecasters?
We know cats are a lot of things, but weather predictors? See what folklore says about these furry felines' forecasting abilities.
Animals and weather folklore go hand in hand. Before Doppler radar and smartphone apps, our ancestors watched animal behavior—groundhogs, birds, fish, cows, even donkeys—to determine what type of weather could be expected. And cats are no exception. We know cats are a lot of things: clean, independent, and highly intelligent—should we add “meteorologists” to the list? Here’s a look at how furry felines can be fantastic forecasters!
Cat Weather Folklore
When a cat washes behind her ears, expect rain.
When cats lie on their head with mouth turned up expect a storm.
When the cat lies in the sun in February, she will creep behind the stove in March.
If a cat sits with its back to the fire, frost and hard weather can be expected.
When cats sneeze, it’s a sign of rain.
When cats are snoring, foul weather follows.
Can Cats Predict Earthquakes?
We also know that cats and other animals can predict earthquakes before they happen. Take a look!
So cats are once again giving us another reason to pay attention to them! Does your cat display any interesting behavior? Share with us in the comments below!
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I’ve always heard that if a cat is cleaning itself and their paws go up over their ears it means it’s going to be windy! ?
We haven’t heard that one – thank you for sharing! We love it!
Does your cat go into a room by itself and meow loudly and repeatedly? I think they use the echo feedback to check for mice like a bat, which rhymes with cat or maybe they are talking to ghosts.
MY CAT LIVES OUTSIDE SLEEPS UNDER OUR SHED TELL HOW DOES HE STAND THE COLD HE WONT COME IN THE HOUSE HE EAYTS OUTSIDE TWICE A DAY WE FEED HIM OUTSIDE HIS NAME IS BOOTS
We have a 1 year old tuxedo female cat she’s had 2 litters.
She left the kittens in the box that we made for them all.
She hide under the bed. Couldn’t get her out with in a half hour it halled they was the size of a golf balls.
I watch her close now.
WE NAVE A CAT THAT LIVES UNDER OUR SHED HE WONT COME IN THE HOUSE WE FEED HIM MORNING AND AT 3 T0 4PM IN THE AFTERNOON HE COMES OUT FROM UNDER THE SHED EATS AND SITS BY THE SHED AND THEN GOES UNDER THE SHED ADD GOES TO SLEEP WE NAMED HIM BOOTS BECAUSE HE HAS WHITE ON THE BOTTOM OF HIS PAWS HE IS SO CUTE HE WONT COME ON ARE DECK
My cats do all of the above and no changes in weather
Oh the cats I lived in Iceland for a couple of years my son was given two cats. One night I returned home they both acted as if I was the devil. At 4 a.m. the floors rolled and the walls shook. It was the first of the awaking of a volcano. Fast forward a year I am living in California those same two cats started acting strangely again. I had learned from Iceland this was the indicator of a impending earthquake. That night I started putting away anything breakable. My friends are shaking their heads thinking I am crazy. The next day we had two small earthquakes. I was no longer the crazy cat lady. Lol. To this day I trust all the signs my animals give me. My horses tell me how cold of a winter we will have they also tell me when spring is here to stay. Just by their coats. The leaves tell me when it’s going to rain and the weeds that grow will tell you what type of summer you will have. I trust that nature knows better than man when it comes to weather
Wow, Pandora, that’s amazing! Thanks for sharing!
We used have a cat, you knew a storm was coming, she’d hide under the kitchen sink, in cabinet. My husband being fully raised country boy was sure it was a tornado, but just storms. I had a chihuahua that “chased” thunder trying to chase it away. She’d hear it before me.
My daughters cat loves canned green peas but no other veggies.
My youngest would only eat green peas when sick. Good thing they stayed down.
Greta my black cat chews my cut flowers! She loves pineapple leaves and pork!
My kitty kitty can find strawberries in grocery bag after shopping no matter where u put the bag she will find it then she likes 2 rub against the plastic till she gets it open 2 steal her couple strawberries & yes she eats them her other favorite food is shredded cheese
Well, that’s the first we’ve ever heard of that! Cats sure have interesting tastes!
My Goldie, a yellow Tabby & Muffy our Basset Hound would huddle together under our bed a half hour before a thunder storm.
Our cat Sophie warns us about 2 days ahead of thunderstorms. Many times, the meteorologists are not predicting it yet, and Sophie is more accurate! She gets wild and hyper, running around and causing trouble.
Ooops…..sorry! That comment about the olives was supposed to go with the article about cats liking cantaloupe!
My cat likes olives! Both the green ones and the black ones, and especially if they have been on pizza. I think it’s the fat and the salt he’s attracted to, but not sure. Normally he’s quite picky, so I was shocked when he ate olives!
Predicting earthquakes before we know one is coming is absolutely true! Years ago my cat and I were in my room…I was at my desk and suddenly my cat took off at 90 mph! Then a bottle opener fell off the top shelf and slammed onto my desk…then the earthquake hit. The birds outside were silent…eerie time.
When a nasty storm is coming, Tabby will crouch down as low as she can get and stay as close to me as possible.
Hi dilyspr, Thanks for commenting. It’s been fun watching my two kitties. The “behind the ear” washing has proven correct this wee!
my kitties just go to the door when my dogs go out but kitties wont go out. So my dogs wont go past the patio. With in an hour it will storm or heavy rain