To think that animals can sense danger?

[Andromeida59]

In a continuation of the thread about having negative reactions towards strangers, it had me thinking about animals and their reaction to strangers or others where they felt some sort of danger.

I didn't want to put it on the other thread because I feel that thread shouldn't go off on a tangent.

I'll start....not a stranger but my MIL. We've had three cats in total over the past four years. One sadly passed in 2017 so we adopted one to keep the other company.

They all seemed to react badly to my MIL. They hide and panic if she goes too close to them. I've had FIL in the house and they're fine with him. I've also had other females in the house and they're friendly with them but as soon as MIL shows up. Their behaviour changes. I've often wondered why and if I was displaying negative behaviour but this has happened even when we've got on well.

She describes herself as an animal lover and had many animals up until a few years ago. I know she's not "dangerous" but I just wonder why they're behaving like it.

Animals can sense danger. It's very well documented that before natural disasters many animals will flee and area, pets will act strangely, dogs will bark frantically etc. But animals also just don't like some people! I don't think the two are necessarily connected. I always find that cats dislike people who like them and go and plonk themselves right on the lap of anyone who they can sense doesn't like them. I feel like they're just arseholes 😂

I had a dog who was lovely to everyone except 2 people we knew, both called gaz...

Was very odd!

Both of my cats, who are no longer with us, hated my dad. They would hiss as soon as he came in the house and even if they were tired they would never sleep whilst he was here. One of them even went for him when he shouted at me once😂. They were great judges of character. He's an abusive vile man and I no longer have any contact with him. So yes I think cats can sense things, they are very intelligent creatures.

Animals are more attuned to cues that people can’t read. It’s less about sensing danger and more about their awareness of small signals.

That said your MIL clearly isn’t a danger to your cats, so they aren’t ‘sensing danger’ here. Cats are just quite fickle and don’t always react positively to human attention (unlike dogs for example). It’s also possible there is something in your MIL’s scent or body language they don’t like.

The neighbour's dog hangs about DH when he gets the chance and my DS. Neither make much fuss of him, DD does give him attention and he is unimpressed. DH only pays attention to pets if he can be bothered, most of the time ignores. Are animals like humans and the less attention they get the more needy they become?

I agree about cats being arseholes. I was staying at my Nan's a few years ago and the cats would sleep on the duvet if no-one else was staying. I had to move both cats but one of them was particularly grumpy about.

The little shit peer in my case over one of my university text books. I, of course, didn't realise until I got to class and opened the book.

Delightful.

*peed not peer

I agree where dogs/cats are concerned, I think they do pick up on cues from people we miss and react to them. Cats of course are famed for making a beeline for anyone who doesn't like them, but I've heard that's because people who don't like cats don't make eye contact and this is seen as submission/invitation by them.
I disagree where horses are concerned, despite the scene in black beauty on the bridge. They're scared of fucking everything, statistics say that one day they'll get it right 🤣