Do Cats Know That Something’s Wrong?

Do They Know Their Humans Are Facing a Pandemic?

“Pandemic,” I say to my cat. “Pandemic.” But she just stares at me like it’s a new brand of cat food that I’ve bought for her. As I sit here working from home I do wonder if she knows that something is wrong. As in, something more wrong than her human grieving the loss of Isabel, or the loss of most of her income this past year, or the loss of a bigger home she was supposed to move into ten years ago.

Do our beloved cats understand that something is not right with the world? Something that’s a little bit different than your average depression, or human-to-human conflicts in the world?

Can it be possible they know, and that they’re here to look after us? Let’s review how a cat senses the world, and if they’re intelligent enough to know that something’s not quite right with me, with you, with everything in the world.

Cats Possess the Same Senses We Do

Just like their humans, your cat can feel someone running their fingers through their fur (yes please, they say!), or they can feel the sunshine on their fur on a warm day. They have heightened senses of hearing, hearing sounds we mere humans can’t. They also have a heightened sense of smell, before we’ve even removed the cheese from the package. They can also sense taste, though not the sweetness factor that we humans can. They may not see all the colours that humans do, but they do see in the ultraviolet and infrared that humans can’t, so purrhaps that makes up for it.

Since this article is based on science, I won’t get into the supernatural element. What my readers want to know is if cats can sense the changes in the world as caused by the pandemic?

A Cat’s Sense of Touch

Cats can touch and feel things just like we can. Whether a cat is indoors or outside, it’s unlikely they can discern any changes in the environment through this sense, other than you petting them more. Let’s move onto the next one.

A Cat’s Sense of Hearing

What kinds of changes have happened over the past year? For one, humans have been staying at home more often. This means that it’s been far quieter outside. There is less traffic on the streets and roads, and less working industry. However, just because people are at home doesn’t mean that they’re quiet when there. A cat may notice that there are fewer cars on the road, but the humans have definitely gotten noisier. Also, the wildlife population is rapidly increasing, so they may have more to capture their attention.

A Cat’s Sense of Smell

Since there are fewer cars on the road and fewer factories operating, there is also less pollution in the air. A cat may smell how the air is much fresher and cleaner. And that brings us to the next point.

A Cat’s Sense of Sight

A cat can see almost as well as we can. They can see tinier objects, such as bugs on the ground that we may not notice. A cat sees how the sky is blue, without that thick layer of smog. They may also notice more humans around their gardens and fewer scary cars on the roads.

A Cat’s Sense of Taste

A cat probably can’t taste anything differently in its environment than they did pre-pandemic. This is one sense that is probably being under-utilized during this point in time, unless you’re feeding them more often because you’re home all the time.

Final Verdict

I do think that cats notice that there are minute changes in their environment, whether their humans are always at home, or the changes in their outdoor environment. As for a pandemic, I doubt they understand what that is, even if they can tell that their humans seem upset for no discernible reason at all. If you feel that your cat is expressing symptoms of anxiety or stress, book an appointment at the veterinarian’s clinic. As for you, you’ll feel much better cuddling up to your cat as often as you can. As for everything else, if it doesn’t bother you, then it shouldn’t bother your cat. Remember that this is temporary, and life will return to normal again.