Do cats know when it’s about to rain?

How do cats know when it’s about to rain? © Dan Bright

In days gone by, sailors thought ships’ cats could predict the weather. Perkiness indicated fair conditions. Sneezing foretold light rain, while weird behaviours, like licking their fur in the wrong direction, were suggestive of storms. Some even thought that cats caused the storms via magic stored in their tails.

Although science has yet to disprove the latter, some modern-day owners do notice that their felines act ‘oddly’ before a downpour. It’s thought the cats’ inner ears are sensitive to the atmospheric pressure reduction that precedes precipitation (when water falls from the sky), but a word of caution. With their famous mood swings, how can you ever really know if your cat is acting oddly?!

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Asked by: Anna Rohan, Hastings

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from BBC Science Focus Magazine https://ift.tt/1Ei4stj

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