Do Cats Have Sixth Sense?

Joan Henderson
Cats are not always given enough credit for so many things they do in their daily life. They are extremely intelligent, diligent problem solvers, and have a great adjusting nature especially to the obstacles and problems in the house.
Curiosity of cats is what drives them to keep sniffing and exploring new territories. Often they’ll open cupboards and pull out drawers just to look inside. Once their curiosity is satisfied they just walk away. However, it is obvious that they never feel they need to shut drawers or close cupboards! That is left to the human members of the household. What else are we pet parents for if not running after our beloveds!
 
Trusting their intuition – that’s how cats function!
In my own home our two Abyssinian cats would take up a position at the back door about half an hour before my husband comes home. They become so excited when they hear him at the door and look forward to the warm greeting they always receive. How they knew that he would be arriving home is always a mystery, but it seems they have their own clock and it was never wrong. I often wonder if they sense a difference in the vibrations of my husband’s car compared to other cars who came down the driveway but that never answered the question ‘Why were they waiting 30 minutes before he would arrive and especially as he did not always arrive home at the same time.’
Mighty or muted – they are all miraculous
It has always been quite amazing that cats who have been left behind when their pet parent’s – in many cases hundreds of miles away – but somehow they are able to find their pet parents even though it has been recorded that it has taken many months or even years for the cat to suddenly turn up at their pet parent’s door. One cat travelled from one coast of America right across to the other coast and two years later appeared in his pet parent’s new home. It has been stated that cats can smell rain or the faint odour of fire long before humans can. They can become agitated and change their behaviour and it is important that the pet parent should not ignore these changes and credit the cat with having this sixth sense and intuitiveness.
There’s no doubt cats are very smart and it is time we give them credit they deserve in being on top of their sixth sense abilities.
(Joan Henderson is a retired international all breeds cat judge based in Melbourne, Australia).