My cat is my weather man
I’m in an active tornado watch tonight. But sorry local meteorologists, I will not be tuning in to your programs. My cat has me covered.
When I was a young kid, I remember watching a show called Animal Heroes on Animal Planet’s morning lineup on the weekends. The show documented stories in which human families were saved by their animal’s sixth sense, they’re connection with nature. A dog rescued a child from a burning building, a bird called 911 after its handler had a seizure, a rabbit warned its family of an earthquake.
These stories of animal heroism fascinated me. Week after week I waited to watch the next stories, devastated if I overslept and missed the 9am time slot. Animal Heroes was a major part of how I became an animal lover, but it was also my first step into mysticism as I became curious about our connection with nature. While my family lived in a tornado-prone area, I opted to base my stress-level not on the weather channel or how it looks outside, but by the behavior of our cats.
My cat has a gift.
I’ve had cats before, but none quite like Mr. Twix. He’s a typical orange boy, goofy and stupid, but he knows how to stay calm under pressure. Even though he’s afraid of plastic bags, paper bags, and reusable canvas bags, he is not afraid of some major thunderstorms. He has been my most steadfast indicator that tornadoes are not heading my way.
There was one day last May where he wasn’t so calm. The storm had been severe for nearly half an hour and he didn’t mind, but suddenly he started to scream and run to the bathroom. We were living together in a third story apartment and it was happening, my cat was predicting a tornado.
trusting him fully, I packed a bag, put on my sneakers, and threw him in his carrier to hold in the bathtub. I looked out my window and I could see the funnel just north of my complex. I called my family to let them know I was okay and they heard the cat cry.
So here we are today, another year and another tornado watch. Mr. Twix is posted at the window on his cat tree and ready to lead me down to the basement should anything happen. So no, I will not be turning on the weather channel tonight. I’ve got something much better.
