Animal Sense

If we pay attention, animals can tell us things we aren’t sensitive enough to pick up on our own.

By Faith Salsburg, Best Friends Network Volunteer

I am sure you have noticed big changes in our climate. Theories of causation abound, but the extreme weather has provided us with documentation that animals possess a sixth sense to anticipate a bad environment.

Tornadoes, food shortages and problems, hurricanes, earthquakes…our animals always seem to know in advance.

Some dogs exhibit behavior changes and are known to whine and howl a few minutes before a storm. Fish have been known to eat more. Cats groom more excessively when they sense an increase of static electricity in the air. Horses bolt and run. A cow will lie down in the middle of a pasture in anticipation of rain to reserve itself a dry space. So, perhaps the strange behavior of the animals around us is worth noting.

In the 2004 Tsunami, the story is that several elephants started screaming and running to higher ground just minutes before the first wave hit. Many observant humans followed suit, thus saving many lives.

An animal’s higher sensibility is not limited to predicting the weather. Much has been made of the nursing home cat that could intuit impending death. The cat would keep vigil in the patient’s bed until he/she passed on. A pacing dog alerts his family to fire in the middle of the night; and some otherwise ordinary housecats can predict an oncoming seizure, allowing their owner to get to a safe place.

Overwhelmingly, people agree that animals are blessed with a higher sense to save their own lives, and if we pay attention and follow their lead, they will save us too.

Article posted by Brandi Bennett, Best Friends Network Staff

Photo courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society