Japanese scientists from Kyoto University were able to scientifically substantiate the ability of cats to predict. They concluded that furry pets understand causality and the laws of physics, which allows them to predict the course of events.
Scientists conducted experiments in which 30 domestic cats participated. During the experiment, the researchers put a ball in a box and shook it so that the ball made a sound. Then they turned the box over and the ball fell out, which aroused the cats' interest. However, if there was a sound, but the ball did not fall out, the cats were surprised and started looking for it. The same bewilderment caused in animals that the ball sometimes fell out in the absence of any sound.
Scientists have concluded that cats know the laws of physics and cause and effect relationships. This knowledge was enough to predict the falling out of the box of the object that created the noise. Researchers believe that such knowledge allows cats to understand where prey is hiding, and to some extent predict its future behavior.
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The study confirmed early hypotheses that cats have well-developed hearing, sight and smell. Thanks to these abilities, animals can examine in detail a potential victim and develop a demeanor towards it.
Amazing animal behavior
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However, scientists cannot explain some of the properties of pets. Cats are famous for their predictions of earthquakes and other cataclysms. There have been many cases in history when cats acted as a kind of seismograph, leaving their owners on the eve of a disaster.
In May 1902, the Montagne Pele volcano erupted suddenly. A cloud of lava, vapors and gases burst out of the volcano's mouth with a roar and covered the city of Saint-Pierre, located eight kilometers from the mountain. The flourishing city was destroyed to the ground. Of the 28 thousand inhabitants, according to various sources, from two to four people survived. However, the historians who covered the event claimed that the cats left the city several days before the disaster.
The cats of the Icelandic city of Vestmannaeyjar did the same. A day before the eruption of the Helgafeldl volcano, they left the dangerous place. Local residents also turned out to be perspicacious and trusted their pets. They also left their homes, which saved them from the consequences of a devastating cataclysm.
In the north of England, at the headquarters of the Cat Defense League, there is a cat that loves to sleep on the TV. When the TV is turned on, the ginger pet curls up on it and falls asleep. He usually lay there until the TV was turned off at night. But one evening, the cat suddenly woke up and jumped off the TV. For several minutes he looked at the screen, after which he went to the front door and began to ask to be released. After some time, the kinescope exploded, filling the room with shards of glass.
Not only cats, but also other animals have similar abilities. In 1988, after the Spitak earthquake in Armenia, many heard about Alice's husky from Leninakan. On the morning of December 7, the owner took the animal for a walk. After the walk, the dog refused to enter the house, howled and barked. The concerned owner turned to the local authorities and the police. However, they did not pay any attention to his fears.
Then the man took his family out of the house and offered to do the same to the neighbors. An hour later, strong tremors began, which destroyed the entire northern part of Armenia. According to official figures, at least 25 thousand people became victims of the disaster.
Destructive earthquake in Armenia killed 25 thousand people
Photo: LoMit / wikipedia.org / CC BY-SA 4.0
In 2004, a terrible tsunami occurred in Sri Lanka. The wave height exceeded 15 meters. The element caused tremendous destruction, which led to the death of more than 200 thousand people. However, most of the wildlife was not affected. A few hours before the start of the tsunami, many animals left the coastal zones, moving to higher ground. And some tamed elephants even put people on them and carried them away to safe places.
Modern science cannot explain why animals have such amazing abilities. According to one of the versions, animals feel infrasonic and magnetic vibrations, which are not captured by special devices. Meanwhile, scientists in many countries take animal predictions seriously and are conducting various studies to help better study the behavior of pets.