How Do Your Cats React To Storms?

[kittyluv387]

Thought it would be interesting to know about different cats’ reactions since it’s storm season right now. My big boy Nemo lived most of his first 2 years as an abandoned stray so he doesn’t get phased at all. My Skye has been an outdoor/indoor cat all her life until we adopted her from neighbors 1.5 years ago. She also doesn’t seem to mind. Benny was taken to a no-kill shelter with his siblings by a Good Samaritan at 3 months of age so he’s a different story. He is very curious about the outside world but also gets easily scared if outside. During a storm he gets nervous and can’t relax. He tends to be fearful of thunder and lightning. I guess it’s because he never had a chance to pick up street smarts (good!) like my other cats. He’s 4 now but it hasn’t gotten better with age so far.

 

[DreamerRose]

We had some hard rain yesterday, and it upset both my cats. They paced around, back and forth, and looked at the windows anxiously. Lily came up close to me, ears twitching as if she was asking, "Can't you make it stop?"

I was surprised at their reactions as they've lived through rainstorms before many times in their lives.

 

[posiepurrs]

I have one who as a younger cat would hide in the bathroom vanity when it stormed. Now she doesn't pay storms any attention.

 

[Purr-fect]

Greg is easily scared of loud storms and thunder. Arnold, his fraternal twin is much more relaxed.

A few days ago a small bowl shifted in the sink. It was only a slight noise. Greg was eating in the kitchen and took off so fast he turned his food dish upside down! His bowl was rolling around on the floor with food everywhere.

Its funny, fraternal twins, raised in the same environment, but with very different reactions.

 

[CatLover49]

My cat snowball will pace n look at me n meow,especially if the wind is blowing.He dont like the wind

 

[Purr-fect]

My cat snowball will pace n look at me n meow,especially if the wind is blowing.He dont like the wind

Snowball is beautiful.

Well named.

 

[CatLover49]

Snowball is beautiful.

Well named.

Thank u.He needs to loose little weight though.Hes right around 15.6 lbs .Working on it.Hes almost 11 in July 15th.He seems to stay right around 15 or so

 

[vince]

Mine generally don't seem concerned about weather conditions. If there's a bright flash of lightning at night or a thunderclap, they'll look around, then look at me (to see if I'm concerned, I suppose). Then they go back to whatever they were doing.

All three seem pretty confident.

 

[NY cat man]

It varies. Miss Eleanor spent her first 4 years outside as a TNR, so she just sleeps through anything. Burdock, Stretch, and Digger will get up and look out the windows to see what's going on. Bashful is kind of a 'whatever' cat, and Prancer hides.

 

[jd shredds]

My two most recent cats (rest their souls) were opposites in this regard. Allie was the elder, yet she never got used to thunderstorms. Once it started to rumble (sometimes even beyond my perception) she would go hide either under the bed or in the pantry. Only after the storm had passed a while would she come back out. Moony, on the other hand, had no problem with thunderstorms... but he was terrified of fireworks (Independence Day), yet Allie never had a problem with them and would even watch them sometimes.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Big beds were made for cats during storms, IMHO. If the thunder is particularly fierce, they will shoot under the bed. Cats being far more sensitive than humans and their hearing far better, of course they tend to be alarmed!

 

[aliceneko]

Mine generally aren't too bothered by storms though if they're loud; Fudge will sometimes hide since he has always been more sensitive to loud noises than Toffee.

 

[Talien]

None of mine care too much about outside noises if they're in the house, even loud thunderstorms. But if I'm walking Callie or Fresca outside and a large vehicle goes by they will turn and watch intently, sometimes Fresca will run for the door to go back inside if it's a particularly noisy truck.

 

[mama africa]

Missy seems unaffected by thunder and lightning during thunderstorms or by fireworks (on new year's eve).
Strong winds Always have a significant impact on her; she gets very alert and restless, she often runs around like crazy and she sometimes makes a loud growling noise.

 

[will2002]

About three years ago last February we had a kitty in the animal hospital. My wife decides it's time to go check on her sickly cat, never mind the fact that major, big time thunderstorms are booming all around the country.

As she is driving along the access road to I-35 in Central Texas, she spots this little bundle of white fur waddling down the edge of the highway. Now it's dark as night, lightning, thundering, beginning to RAIN bigly, and the wind is blowing 40 to 50 mph and more. What does she do? Well, she does exactly what ALL of you guys and gals would do. She pulls off the side of the road, runs and picks up this cold, wet, dirty "baby" kitten, being just as happy as if she had just won the biggest Lotto ever payed out...I think the kitten was happy about all of this as well.

This little bitty, baby female kitten soon named Lilly was barley a hand full. It was so very small I will never know how she walked in such a wind as was blowing that afternoon! The kitten got checked out at the Vet's office that afternoon, and has lived with us ever day and NIGHT their after.

Lilly grew into a beautiful, healthy, Silver Point Siamese Cat with BIG blue eyes and to this day never pays ANY attention at all to any kind of storm .

 

[tabbytom]

My boy will sense if the rain is coming. He'll get up from his nap and sit upright and like, 'ok, I smell a thunderstorm coming'. He can hear the thundering sounds coming from a distance.

Once the storm arrive with clapping thunders and lightnings, his safe place is under the bed. Sometimes, he'll just meow and cuddle up by my side and after awhile he'll go under the bed.
If i'm not home and there's a thunderstorm coming, I observe him through the camera and see him going into the room where the bed is. I know he's taking refuge there.

But at the slightest sound to the loudest sound, he's weary.

 

[Caspers Human]

Just remember that a cat's hearing is ten times more sensitive than a humans (figuratively speaking) and they can hear frequencies that not even dogs can hear.

Because of this, when it rains, a human hears "pitter patter" but a cat might hear a sound like 1,000 marbles being poured into a metal skillet!

Does a sound like that hurt a cat's ears? I don't know... Maybe.

It might not hurt a cat's ears but it is certainly annoying and anxiety-producing.

What's it like for you when you're trying to hold a conversation with somebody as a freight train goes by?

Now, imagine what it must be like to experience that for an hour or even a whole day!

If I was a cat, when it rains, I'd probably hide under the bed, too!

 

[Boris Diamond]

My cats will sometimes get up and walk around when they hear thunder, maybe looking out the window. But they settle down pretty quickly and don't pay it much mind after that. If there is a really big boom, they will sometimes look at me for reassurance, get it and then go back to sleep.

 

[Jem]

Of our last group, only Hank was afraid of storms and would slink away growling to go hide in the basement behind the shelving unit. The others could care less, except if a really loud thunder shook the house, but they were simply startled by the loud sound, not really bothered by the storm in general.
With our new group of kitties, time will tell, we have not experienced a storm yet as we have only had them since December.

 

[mizzely]

Both of my kitties are /were indoor only kitties their whole life (Jasmine passed away at 17, Lydia turned 9 in October) and once never had either of them react to weather at all