Can cats predict weather changes?

Do you believe that feline friends are PURR-FECT prognosticators? What is the origin of the phrase “raining cats and dogs”? Can cats predict if a thunderstorm is on its way? How do cats seem to know about weather changes before we do? What do animals falling from the sky have to do with torrential downpours? Let’s explore the wonders of our feline friends!

 

Some authorities tie the idea of “RAINING CATS and 1. ____________” to Norse mythology. Odin, the Viking god of storms, was often pictured with

2. _________ and wolves, symbols of wind. Witches, who supposedly rode their brooms during storms, had black cats, which became signs of heavy rain. Therefore, “RAINING CATS AND 3. ___________” referred to a storm with wind and heavy rain.

While the story sounds good, the expression didn’t become popular until the 1700s, when 4. Johnathan __________________ (author of Gulliver’s Travels) used it in a satire.

He pictured snobby upper class aristocrats solemnly fretting that it would “RAIN CATS and 5. _________”.  Suddenly the saying caught on. Apparently, the English spent a lot of time chatting about rain and it was the latest hit phrase.

 

The cat/ witch connection created a lot of superstitions. Many European cultures believed that cats could influence or even forecast the weather.

-      In Britain, especially Wales, it was believed that rain was likely if a cat busily washed its 6.____________.

-      In Holland, cats could predict the wind by 7. _______________ at carpets and curtains.

-      In early America, if a cat sat with its back to the 8. ___________, it was foretelling a cold snap and if it slept with all four 9. _________ tucked under, bad weather was coming.

-      According to sailors, if a cat licked its fur against the grain, it meant a 10. ____________________ was coming; if it sneezed, 11. ________ was on the way; if it was frisky, the wind would soon blow.

 

So, can cats predict weather? It turns out that cats are more sensitive to changes in atmospheric pressure. Yes, their heightened senses can allow them to pick up hints that a storm is coming. Cats’ 12. inner _______ may detect the sudden fall in atmospheric pressure. A cat is also more sensitive to sounds and 13. _______________. Therefore, your cat will hear the rumble of a thunderstorm before you do. Likewise, your cat is more likely to 14. ______________ the incoming rain or that metallic odor of lightning in the air. Why don’t we give our feline friends some credit for their awesome capability to appreciate some sweet petrichor after the rain!!!

 

*Source from Old Farmer’s Almanac

 

Answer Keys

    1.  dogs

    2.  dogs

    3.  dogs

    4.  Swift

    5.  dogs

    6.  ears

    7.  clawing

    8.  fire

    9.  paws

    10.  hailstorm

    11.  rain

    12.  ears

    13.  smells

    14. smell