Do you think animals have a sixth sense ?

[WildRosie]

I don't have any pets but in the family home decades ago, our three Cocker spaniels seemed to know when somebody wasn't well. Our eldest spaniel especially paid particular attention to the 'patient', making more of a fuss than usual and taking position by their side. Perhaps it's a dog's acute sense of smell or perception of unusual body language that gives them this apparent edge but I like to think it's a magical instinct that only they possess. Conversely, I don't recall our last cat ever noticing if someone was poorly. That's cats for you. More recently, I have noticed that the feral pigeons that perch on the roof opposite my front room always dive for cover whenever a thunderstorm is about to strike. You certainly notice when around fifty birds suddenly take to the air en masse and tear past your window. I wonder if they detect variations in magnetism in the atmosphere ? Following magnetic north is believed to be a method of navigation for the ferals' relatives, the homing pigeons.

Numerous times, my dogs and cats have proven to me that they have a sixth sense.
But the most amazing animal sixth sense story I have ever heard is what happened to Anthony Lawrence. He was a game reserve owner in South Africa and was responsible for rehabilitating a herd of elephants. He built up such a close relationship with them that whenever he went away on business, they would be waiting for him outside his lodge where he lived on his return. Without fail they would be there waiting for him when he got back. One day, he was due to fly back to South Africa from UK. A guide monitoring the elephants saw them walking in the direction of the house. At 12:30pm English time, he missed his flight. South Africa is 1 hour ahead. At 1:30pm South Africa time, the elephants turned around and walked away. Bexause they sensed that he had been delayed.

Cats have a very good perception of time. They know certain things are likely to happen at certain times. For instance if you come home from work at a certain time every day etc. And dogs intelligence is off the scale!

@Soubriquet

My cat always knows when she’s supposed to be fed and gets very grumpy if she isn’t fed on time.

The dogs know it’s time they have a treat because they have it at the same time every day. Heavens help me if I don’t do it on time. I get jumped on

There have been studies on this type of behaviour with dogs. Smell plays a big part. In any location, the smells change during the course of the day. It’s partly to do with the way the sun moves over. Dogs have the ability to notice even the slightest odours. The dog knows that around 4pm when the sun strikes the west window, the heat builds slightly, imperceptibly to us, but will change the odours and the dog is used to the owner being home shortly after that smell appears. I can’t remember where I saw this, but it was a science journal of sorts. It only partly explains the reasons why some dogs anticipate people arriving.

@chisanunian

One of my previous much-loved cats always used to run round to the front garden and greet me at the front door. It didn't seem to matter what time of day, and we worked out she recognised the sound of my car's engine from far off, and she'd come to meet me.

So how come she knew it was me coming up the road on the day I came home in my new car?

Maybe the cat just ran outside every time they heard a car close to the house to see if it was you, but obviously if it was someone else they would ignore it.

I don’t think animals have some special sense, they just use their senses differently to us. I think it’s hard for humans to conceptualise how animals use their senses. They’re wonderfully perceptive though.

I think animals rely on our facial expressions, tone of voice, heart and respiration rate, smells and body language, and I think they've learned to do this as we're part of their pack or herd so to speak.

So rather than a 6th sense they 'read' us in far greater detail than we realise, and probably read and understand things we don't even realise we do/say.
I went through a tough time recently and spent some time with me horse and his field companion. He has never been a horse that likes to be cuddled or petted a lot, but I think he's learned that certain things he does make me laugh and that gets him more of my attention which is desirable as I'm the food provider, he started playing with my zip and took my hat off and when that didn't work, wandered off. The female horse stood over me dozing when I sat on the floor - like she would a foal or other vulnerable horse, I am part of her heard and usually I'm the provider and protector, but at that time I was vulnerable and from my body language and demeanor she understood that and took the 'protection' role, even though she knows I'm not a horse.

I sometimes think that humans could take a lesson on inclusivity from animals - they know we're not the same species as them, yet accept us anyway on face value as part of their group, once they know we can be trusted.

They also have an uncanny sense of time, I finish work at 6, and feed them around 6.15, they'd always be at the gate waiting at 6.15, despite there being about 4 months of the year that it's dark at 6.15 and then varying degrees of daylight after that. If I was early and got there at 6 they were halfway down the field, working their way down. They didn't hear my car because I walked, and I know the point they can recognise my footsteps from because they whinny when they know I'm there. I can only think they have a much better sense of the light and changes from night to day than we do!

Dsis and family used to live fairly near, and had a dog we’d look after for a few days now and then when they went away.

Later we were living abroad and saw them only once a year - a long drive from where we were staying in the U.K. DSis said the dog would know when we were still well over an hour away that we were coming. He’d be watching by the window - she said he never did it for anyone else.

@ozymandiusking

My cat hasn't been anywhere near me this week whilst I'm suffering from covid.

Interesting. You've just made me realise that my cats have been giving me a wide berth (I currently have covid) and they've been much less cuddly than usual. Wonder if they're trying to avoid it or if they're just enjoying the sunny weather?!

In general, however, my cats seem to be aware of illness and emotion and will be more present when comfort is needed.

One of my cats in particular spent a lot more time with me when I was pregnant and subsequently in labour (which was really quite something, she clearly knew exactly what was going on). I wonder whether cats are sensitive to hormones...

@Candleabra

I’m not sure about a sixth sense but I think animals are very tuned into human emotions. Especially if you’re upset or worried, they really show you they care.

Like PP say it's not a sixth sense but so in tune to our lives that we don't know. They smell everything. Weather, ovulation, periods, illness, sadness. They are truly incredible and intuitive and that's why we love and adore them. I spoke recently to my dad about how much we treat our mut rescue like a child member of family and the return was because we are his family, we are his whole world.

@Ponderingwindow

When I had cancer, my cat kept trying to sleep on that particular spot on my body. It was not a natural sleeping spot or one she had ever slept on previously.

I actually had to lock her out of the room eventually for her own safety because of the type of radiation I had. She found a spot in a cabinet in the adjacent room that was basically as close to my bed as she could possibly get and barely left that spot for the duration.

That's beautiful x

Before being diagnosed with a chronic illness my dogs wouldn't leave me alone. I joked to a friend that I must be ill. A few months later after some tests it was confirmed. When I'm having bad days they lie with me. They follow me all the time too! But also they know when it's dinner time and so do the cats. The cats and dogs also can hear a cheese packet being opened even though they are no where to be seen 🤣

When DS was young he was ill off school, i settled him on the sofa with a blanket, back door was open and a random cat that we had never seen before wandered in and settled on his blanket next to him, it stayed all day. We have never seen it since.