Animal sensitivity to vibrations?

[wnylib]

I woke up around 6:05 this morning. First order of the day (after the bathroom) is always feeding Ember. I alternate her cat food between dry kibbles and canned Fancy Feast. She likes the Fancy Feast best.

So I put some shredded turkey and gravy into her dish. She started eating immediately. About halfway through, Ember suddenly ran from her dish and crouched down into a slinking, wary posture across the room. Then she circled the kitchen, still crouched down, visibly frightened.

Ember is a food hog. Nothing gets between her and food. I was worried that she was sick. I talked to her softly to calm her down. After a few minutes, she went back to her dish, slowly at first.

I shrugged it off as feline hallucinations and checked in on DU where I read about the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Posted there awhile and then turned on Buffalo NPR, where they were discussing a small earthquake centered in a Buffalo suburb, West Seneca. For a minute, I was disoriented after reading about Turkey.

A 3.8 earthquake occurred in the Buffalo area at 6:15 am. That's when Ember was eating and suddenly acted strange. But, I am located outside of the range of the earthquake's reach. No one in my area felt it, including me.

Is it possible that Ember felt or sensed what people here could not feel?

Just over the Canadian border in southern Ontario, they reported the earthquake there at 4.2, same time of 6:15 am.

Minor earthquakes do happen occasionally in western NY. Although I did not feel this one, I have felt a couple in years past. Very minor ones.

[hlthe2b]

1. Many species (especially in the wild) have been documented to detect early indications of tremors

and thus act to evade a coming earthquake. This isn't speculation.

[wnylib]

3. Thanks. I've read about animals anticipating a quake

before people do because they are able to hear the rumblings outside of human range or feel the trembling as it begins.

I live on the 5th floor of an apartment building and Ember is a totally indoor cat, has never been outdoors. She does have an exceptionally good sense of hearing and often goes on alert to sounds in the building long before I hear them, like people getting on the elevator at the ground floor.

We are outside the range of this quake, but Ember seems to have heard or felt it.

[Walleye]

2. I remember feeling a 4.0 when I lived in Manhattan at about three in the morning once

I knew what it was because I had experience in the San Fernando Valley quake in 1972. A small tremor, I can describe the sensation best as being on horseback when it takes a step. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the cat felt the vibrations.

[wnylib]

5. Several years ago when I lived in Cleveland,

in a ground floor apartment, I felt the same sensation that you described. The room felt like it was swaying. A tall, revolving bookshelf in my living room vibrated and swayed. I did not know what it was. Never been to California and it was before I moved to western NY.

A few minutes after the incident, Cleveland radio and TV reported that a quake centered in Cincinnati measured at about 4.5 I think. It did minor to moderate damage in Cincinnati, like broken windows, fallen chimneys, shattered dishes. But it was felt over a large range, involving several states.

Today's quake in the Buffalo area had a much smaller range, confined to Buffalo, some of its suburbs, and just over the border in Canada. I am near Buffalo, but not in its suburbs. I am some miles outside of the range of the quake. So it surprised me that my cat apparently sensed it, although nobody in my area felt it.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Absolutely

Animals are tuned in to different things than we humans. Birds migrate by following the earth's magnetic field, wild animals erratic before major weather events. Your cat can feel the vibes in her paws.

[Ziggysmom]

6. Totally. Cats senses are superior to our own.

[SheltieLover]

7. Absolutely!

I am convinced other mammals have senses fapr superior to those we humans rely on.

Cats' whiskers are truly amazing instruments. I'm sure she felt it.

I'm glad she recovered so quickly & was able to chow down.

[wnylib]

8. Food is nearly sacred to Ember. She eats almost

any thing so I have to be careful not to leave things unattended that are harmful to cats, like chocolate. She will even nibble on inedibles, sometimes rather melodramatically, to show me that she wants more food.

So, once she calmed down and felt safe again, she was happy to chow down the rest of her turkey and gravy.

[SheltieLover]

9. My elder rwscue absolutely must eat every 3 hours

Even wakes me up in the middle of the night to do so. No, leaving dry out does not satisfy her. She wants new dry food.

Cats...

My senior was a rescue, so I presume she still has food insecurity.

She bangs cabinet doors, bats at keys hanging on doorknob & frantically scratches at food bag.

She is up to 16 lbs & she is not a big cat. Ongoing problem here for more than 10 years now.

When I first adopted her, she would literally try to steal food from my fork as I was lifting it to my mouth, so I strongly suspect food insecurity.

Hugs to you & Ember!

[wnylib]

10. Fortunately, Ember's weight stays good.

I measure out her food. When she has had enough and wants more later, before her next feeding, I put a few kibbles (about 10) in her dish to "tide her over" until feeding time. Or, I put a few pieces (about 7) of Meow Mix treats in her dish and "hide" 5 pieces while she eats the ones in the dish. She likes tracking down the hidden ones. But sometimes she cheats and stops eating the ones in her dish to look at where I am hiding the other ones. I stop hiding them until she goes back to the dish.

I cannot put a day's worth of kibble in her dish for her to nibble on at will. She eats the WHOLE amount at once and a few hours later wants more.

Ember probably does have some food insecurity and some anxiety due to her home of origin. She was the runt of her 3 kitten litter. The woman who had the mother was negligent with her pets and handled Ember roughly while I was there to pick her up at age 9 weeks. She told me glibly, as if it was no big deal, that Ember's two siblings hogged mama and pushed Ember away from nursing. They also hogged the kibble when they started on it. An older adult half brother of Ember attacked her when she was just 7 weeks old. The family dog rescued Ember and she bonded with the dog.

The first few weeks that I had Ember, she tried to "nurse" on my ear lobe when I laid down in bed. I guess the smooth skin surrounded by my "fur" (hair) made her think that she could get some comforting milk there. I had to gently redirect her away from my ear several times until she stopped doing it. She also tried to nurse on my neck, leaving little kitty hickies all over it.

Ember NEVER wakes me up, not even when I oversleep and she is hungry. Never tries to. But, once I am up, she is my shadow until I put food in her dish.

She is 7 years old now. No more nursing attempts since her kitten days. But she is still attached to food as if she she fears it might disappear.

[SheltieLover]

11. Poor Ember! Such negligent care!

So glad you found each other & that you got her out of there early! And thank goddess for the pupper who took up for her!

Awwwwww... nursing on your ear & neck.

I only know that my senior was found with her litter of kittens in an abandoned car. So, pretty sure she was food deprived. 💔

I always think of my dad who grew up during Depression. We were fortunate to always have plenty of food, but he never got over his younger years of food insecurity.

[wnylib]

12. A lot of people from the Depression years were like that.

My father grew up on a farm, so food was not the issue with him. It was clothes and other things that his patents could not afford to buy for their large family (9 children).

Regarding Ember, I've mentioned this here before so you might have seen it. The woman I got Ember from was a coworker. I often talked at work about Ember's antics and quirky behavior. So when Ember was 2 years old, the woman asked if she could drop by my place after work to see Ember again now that she was all grown up. I saw no reason not to since Ember was no longer a helpless kitten in that woman's charge.

But Ember had her own opinion about it. She went to the door to greet the visitor, as she always does. But the minute that the woman said Ember's name and bent down to pet her, Ember leaped onto a counter and growled fiercely. She arched her back and put up a paw, claws extended, as if ready to fight. She had recognized the sound of the woman's voice and her scent. She would not let my coworker closer than 6 feet of her.

The totally clueless woman said, "Gee, you must not have many visitors. Ember is not used to meeting people, is she?" I had to work with that woman every day so I did not say what I was thinking. I just said that Ember doesn't always take to new people and had not seen her for two years. I suggested that she not stay long because it was obviously upsetting to Ember.

Ember loves to greet visitors at the door and follow them inside. She rubs their legs and really sucks up to them to get petted on the head. So it was that specific person that she reacted to.

[SheltieLover]

13. Good for Ember!

Woman must've been a real pos. She's lucky Ember didn't attack her, imo!

My dad's family had 13 kids & single mom, a widow. Food, clothes, etc. were problematic, but the food insecurity was what he could never resolve.

[wnylib]

14. WOW! Raising 13 kids alone would be hard enough at any time, but

during the Depression would be even worse. What an amazing woman your grandmother must have been.

As for Ember, she is a feisty little feline. She's sweet and affectionate most of the time, amusing with her antics, but she also has a very strong sense of dignity and personal space. She expects to be treated with respect and let's you know if she feels that you are not doing that.

For example, she knows the words "no" and "bad girl," "good girl," and "sweetheart." For sweetheart, she just recognizes that it's associated with hugs, kisses, affection, and eye blinks.

So, when she does something that I don't approve of, she gets rebellious and stubborn if I use a strong, scolding tone of voice. Point a finger at her while scolding and she will slap the finger. But if I say, "No, no. Ember, Please don't do that" or "bad girl, Ember" in a firm, but not too scolding tone, she cooperates. I make it sound like I am disappointed and sad that she is doing whatever it is, most often scratching something other than her scratching posts. In other words, requests go farther with Ember than orders. She has to maintain her dignity and sense of equality with me. And she is very good at picking up meaning from tone of voice.

When she knows that I am displeased, she tries to make up with me through eye blinks and rubbing my legs.

Yes, I am glad for Ember's sake that I got her out of that coworker's house. But I feel like I am the lucky one to have her. She is such a joy for me.

[SheltieLover]

15. Ember sounds like quite an amazing kitty! Life is an on going collaborative event.

I'm so glad you found each other & that she commands respect!

As for my grandma, she must have been an amazing womlan for sure. All my grands were dead before I was born, so I never knew them.

At lwast back then, there was a strong sense of community, from what I've been told. Doctors performed surgeries even knowing the families had no way to pay, that kind of thing.

It had to be really hard on everyone.

Hugs to you & Amber!