Can animals predict earthquakes?

Everyone thinks their pets are special, and the Kirk family is no different. Except they have dozens of cats and kittens on their property at any given time, but they are not pet hoarders. They run Forever Meow, a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing cats and ending euthanasia in county shelters.

While many cats get adopted, Soupy, a particularly talented and sensitive cat, is a permanent part of the family and for good reason. His owners, Leigh and David, say he can predict earthquakes as far as 35 miles away.

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“We didn’t feel anything. We just saw it on the shake map, and we thought, ‘Wow we wonder if he felt that and that’s why he jumped on the TV,'” said Leigh Kirk.

They say Soupy exhibits curious behavior before a local earthquake strikes.

“Whatever the highest point in the room is, he just clambers for it. He makes an effort to get up,” said Leigh Kirk.

But USGS seismologist Dr. Susan Hough says there’s no firm evidence to suggest that any animals can predict earthquakes.

“Some number of cats is going to be acting strangely on any given day because cats act strangely for no reason,” she said.

She says it’s more likely animals are simply feeling earthquakes earlier than humans do.

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Earthquakes are made up of various types of waves. The first to show up are the primary waves, which create a lower amplitude vibrating motion. Since many animals are lower to the ground and lack humans’ day-to-day distractions, they might react to an earthquake before the arrival of secondary waves, which create the rolling motion most often associated with earthquakes.

That might have been the case for Tracy Habijanac, who says her 17-year-old chow chow Bear made a rare trek downstairs to warn her that 6.3M quake was going to strike.

“I thought, ‘You just warned me about this thing that just came up and it rolled through,’ and I was like ‘Oh my gosh,’ and he got down and went back upstairs like nothing happened,” Habijanic said.

Habijanac says she’s not surprised that many pet owners claim their animals have sensed earthquakes before they hit because of their heightened senses.

Jacyln Schart, an animal behaviorist for Riverside County, and shelter employees say they’ve noticed an eerie silence in the dog kennels before a quake strikes. She says they’re usually hunkered down feeling vibrations and listening, unlike horses, who would be more likely to attempt to run to safety.

Isabella Megli of Whiterock Horse Rescue says she has seen horses react violently in the moments before a natural disaster if they’re separated from their herd.

“If they’re in their stall, they’ll kill themselves sometimes trying to get out. They’ll jump over it, they’ll break down the door,” said Megli, “I’ve seen them rear and get caught with their legs, and that’s because of the insecurity they have of being alone. They’re herd animals.”

Natalia Pander-Mathein, the owner of Knob Hill Ranch, has watched the repeated behavior of all the animals on her property before an earthquake hits. She says they’re her personal alert system, making her feel safer and even helping her pick and choose when to cancel tourist rides on the horses.

She says the horses usually don’t eat or drink as well in the days before a quake, and the cats go into a feline frenzy, racing around the home at odd hours and then going into hiding. She says the dogs get clingy andthe chickens begin screaming and refuse to lay eggs.

After she observed the strange behavior the first time, an earthquake struck within a day.

Given that almost all evidence suggesting animals can predict earthquakes is anecdotal, Dr. Hough says it is within the realm of possibility that animals are detecting something, but there’s no way to confirm it.

Over the years Dr. Hough says she’s heard stories of snakes, amphibians- even cockroaches behaving in odd ways prior to a quake.

According to professor Kurt Leuschner from College of the Desert, cockroaches might be key in future search and rescue efforts should a larger earthquake strike.

“They’re large enough to carry a small camera on their back, which can be glued onto their back and then they can go into the rubble that even search dogs can’t get into,” he said.

While there is still uncertainty about animal earthquake prediction, here are some tips to make sure your pet is in good shape should an earthquake rock your home:

Have extra food, water ready and available. Keep pet records and medications on hand. Microchip your pet and register them online.