Herding My Cats...
I grew up in the Texas Panhandle and when severe weather approached, which it often did in the Spring, things got pretty hectic and scary. My family and Skippy, our dog, made many fast trips across town to our safe place, my grandmother's basement. Luckily, we only had a tree partially uprooted beside my childhood home.
My anxiety level was pretty high recently due to the violet storms which passed through the area where I now live in the Dallas area. Going to my grandmother's basement was no longer an option, and I now have 2 cats instead of a dog. When the sirens were activated to warn residents to shelter immediately, I knew I had to DO SOMETHING. I must confess I wasn't as prepared as I should have been.
I made a quick decision to shelter in my hall bathtub (no windows). I grabbed a few substantial pillows, my phone and a flashlight, which was in working order luckily. Then came the interesting part - I had to "herd" my cats to our safe place. To my surprise, they cooperated very nicely. It was as though they knew something was up and they wanted to be in that bathroom with me.
Since my curiosity got the best of me, as it often does, I decided to do some research about the behavior I had observed with my cats and here is what I found:
When cats sense severe weather approaching, they may act in various ways. Some of those behaviors may seem strange, but those behaviors have been observed for centuries. 18th-century sailors looked to cats on their ships for weather predictions. Some thought cats were actually causing storms through "magic" stored in their tails. While cats' reactions to severe weather were once thought to be supernatural, modern science shows otherwise. We now know our feline friends are able to perceive shifts in air pressure and many experts believe it is this change in barometric pressure that our kitties react to before a storm hits. Because cats are natural predators with incredibly keen senses that allow them to be finely tuned into their environment, they can easily sense these shifts in pressure.
Apparently when cats detect an oncoming storm, their first instinct and survival tactic is often to flee or hide in the safest place they can find. I guess my cats were so cooperative because they could sense the storm's close proximity and the change in the barometric pressure. Or, was it just the loud sound of sirens?? Either way, I was happy the place I chose to shelter met their criteria. However, I don't think I won any points for that.
I also learned that Biometerology is a growing scientific field which studies how weather, especially changing weather, impacts the behavior of animals and people.
I hope you find this information interesting and helpful. I would also like to encourage all pet owners to plan ahead and decide where you will take your cats and any other pets if an emergency like this occurs. Staying calm and breathing deeply will have a pawsitive effect on your cats in stressful situations. During winter months, keep extra cat food and litter on hand so you are prepared for inclement weather. That extra cat litter also can come in handy by providing traction on icy driveways and sidewalks.