Are Our Feline Friends 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? Let’s explore the wonders of our feline friends!
You can blame this article on the cat sprawling across my keyboard when I was trying to write on a rainy day. I started to think about cats and weather—specifically, the phrase “raining cats and dogs.” What do animals falling from the sky have to do with torrential downpours?
Can you imagine anything more improbable than raining cats and dogs or, for that matter, more uncomfortable? (Then again, why does a keyboard seem to be the ideal place for a catnap?)
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Raining Cats and Dogs
Some authorities tie the idea to Norse mythology. Odin, the Viking god of storms, was often pictured with dogs 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 dogs” referred to a storm with wind (dogs) and heavy rain (cats).
“Pluie de chats.” Source: Wikipedia
While the story sounds good, the expression didn’t become popular until the 1700s, when Jonathan Swift (author of Gulliver’s Travels) used it in a satire.
He pictured snobby upper class aristocrats solemnly fretting that it would “rain cats and dogs.” Suddenly the saying caught on. Apparently, the English spent a lot of time chatting about rain and it was the latest hit phrase.
Cats and Weather Folklore
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 ears.
- In Holland, cats could predict the wind by clawing at carpets and curtains.
- In early America, if a cat sat with its back to the fire, it was foretelling a cold snap and if it slept with all four paws tucked under, bad weather was coming.
Sailors were particularly superstitious or just so bored that they spent a lot of time watching the ship’s cat.
- If a cat licked its fur against the grain, it meant a hailstorm was coming; if it sneezed, rain was on the way; and if it was frisky, the wind would soon blow.
- Some believed cats could start storms through magic, so sailors always made sure cats were content. (I’m sure the cats encouraged this belief!)
Source: Wikimedia commons
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’ inner ears may detect the sudden fall in atmospheric pressure.
A cat is also more sensitive to sounds and smells. Therefore, your cat will hear the rumble of a thunderstorm before you do. Likewise, your cat is more likely to smell the incoming rain or that metallic odor of lightning in the air.
In truth, cats aren’t the only animals who are attuned to nature and weather, but we’ll give our feline friends some credit; after all, they already know they’re superior to us humans, right?
Learn More
Discover more animals that can predict the weather!
Ever head of the annual Cat Nights, which occur in August? This bit of folklore also gives us the saying, “A cat has nine lives.” Learn more about Cat Nights.
James J. Garriss
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I had a normal, short haired cat that lived 21 years. Three times in her life, her winter coat came in like a chinchilla. Those 3 years only, we had snow and ice on the ground for several days. Otherwise, we got, at most, a light dusting of snow rarely and a few nights of freeze, while she got a slightly thicker coat. I’ve never seen such a drastic change in any other pet!
Loved the article. I have two cats, a bit over a year old. They rule the house. You would think I had a toddler with all the toys on the floor. Having a cat on my keyboard or bathroom sink counter helping me brush my teeth or on my vanity while I'm putting on make up is a daily routine. Thanks for a chuckle and smile to start my day.
I always thought that the expression "raining cats & dogs" is becuase before animals were not house pets, but lived outside, and during a heavy rain cats and smaller dogs would get washed away down the street, hence making it look like they had falled with the rain.
In olden days the dogs and cats would sit on the thatched roofs of houses and when it rained they fell through. That’s where the saying raining cats and dogs came from.
It's actually Thor that causes storms in Norse Mythology. Not Odin. (Óðinn).
You are correct Thor was the one that caused the storms in Greek Mythology.
I believe Odin was Thors father.
Óðinn still has ability to control weather, storms and lightning, also crossing over into Njord’s abilities aswell regarding climate/sea-faring conditions, he is the All-Father.
I was told that in medieval times when the roofs were made of straw, the cats and dogs ,birds ect. slept in the roof straw to keep warm and dry. When it rained the straw became slippery and the dogs and cats + slide off the roof and into the house. Hence "it is raining cats and dogs."
You can tell the temperature in a room by the length of a sleeping cat.
My very first cat--a big white half-Angora--used to predict rain. He'd get on his back with his forepaws curled over like a bunny's and his hind legs sticking up (or sometimes out), and within about three days we'd have rain. It took us the longest time to see the connection! But he was never wrong.
