Factcheck this: Cats and dogs can predict earthquakes.

Question

Tributsch argued that because animals have drier body surfaces than humans (they do not sweat as we do), they are more susceptible to such electrostatic charges. Because of that, dogs and cats can predict earthquakes.

Answer 1

Cats and dogs can not predict earthquakes. Seismological Society of America says that people have thought dogs and cats can predict earthquakes for many years. This was found to be false. Electrostatic charges in dogs and cats will result in potential shocks and for their fur to stand up. But, it does not give them the power to predict an earthquake. https://www.seismosoc.org/news/can-animals-predict-earthquakes/

Answer 2

This claim is false.

According to Seismological Society of America, their article "Can Animals Predict Earthquakes" states that it is difficult for this statement to be confirmed. This is due to the fact that most reports in relation to this claim are single observations. It is also taken into consideration that animals sense many changes in the environment. According to the article, Foreshocks and abnormal animal behavior strongly cluster together... suggesting that at least some of the behaviors may be related to physical phenomena from a seismic event already underway." There is not enough evidence to confirm that changes in behavior indicate earthquake predictions from animals such as cats and dogs. 

https://www.seismosoc.org/news/can-animals-predict-earthquakes/#:~:text=17%20April%202018%E2%80%93For%20centuries,strong%20evidence%20behind%20the%20claim.

Answer 3

While many pet owners have reported strange behavior in their pets before an earthquake occurs, it is not true that cats and dogs can predict earthquakes. According to an article from the Seismological Society of America, there is not enough evidence to prove that these animals can predict earthquakes.

"One of the biggest problems with the animal data, Woith says, is the lack of continuous, long-term observations of animals experiencing earthquakes...Without a long record, Woith said, researchers cannot be sure that their observations relate to an earthquake and not some other kind of environmental change or long-term fluctuation in the health of an animal population or its predators."

https://www.seismosoc.org/news/can-animals-predict-earthquakes/#:~:text=17%20April%202018%E2%80%93For%20centuries,strong%20evidence%20behind%20the%20claim.

Answer 4

   This claim is misleading. The site that was originally given does not work, however, the user who posted the claim mentioned the name “Tributsch” which assisted with my research. The claim states that Tributsch declared animals are more receptive to electrostatic charges since they do not sweat as much as humans, contributing to their predictive senses of earthquakes. The analysis I came across cites a great deal of Tributsch’s research. Dogs are also mentioned more so than other animals including cats because they seem to demonstrate a more keen sense for natural disasters. However, the research pertains to land and sea creatures. Throughout history, there have been various occasions where animals fled their habitats ranging from a month to two weeks before an earthquake. Just before an earthquake occurs, Tributsch has accounted for the unusual behavior animals will perform such as, “ . . . dogs barking, nervous cats jumping out of windows. . .”  (Analysis of Predicting Earthquakes through an Abnormal Behavior of Animals). In regards to electrostatic charges, the analysis states that Tributsch believed this form of energy may be what animals are responding to and based on their environment, their sensitivity to it increases. Sea animals also have a higher sensitivity to electrical charges in contrast to land animals, however, it does not give a comparison to humans. An animal may be more receptive to electrostatic charges but it differs. The analysis uses the word “may” repeatedly when describing this behavioral phenomenon, suggesting that it is not yet proven. The Seismological Society of America has an article emphasizing that the observations made through various researches regarding this topic can not be tested accurately, causing uncertainty in the data which supports the diction used in the analysis. Based on my research, the claim is not scientifically factual but the observations made throughout decades create possibility for truth. 

Sources:

• Can Animals Predict Earthquakes? https://www.seismosoc.org/news/can-animals-predict-earthquakes/
• Can Animals Predict Earthquakes? https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/can-animals-predict-earthquakes
• Analysis on Predicting Earthquakes through an Abnormal Behavior of Animals https://www.ijser.org/researchpaper/Analysis-on-Predicting-Earthquakes-through-an-Abnormal-Behavior-of-Animals.pdf

Answer 5

The claim that animals can predict earthquakes can be considered partially true, while they may seem to behave strangely before earthquakes, it's more likely that they are reacting to their environmental cues rather than actually predicting seismic activity. There is no scientific evidence that animals are psychics when it comes to natural disasters because most studies show that while animals may react to physical changes in their environment, there is no conclusive evidence that they can predict earthquakes with any degree of accuracy. Scientists from the ¹University of Duisburg-Essen conducted an experiment with ants near active earthquake fault lines in Germany. They found that the ants changed their typical behavior before earthquakes, staying outside their mounds instead of resting inside. The researchers believed that the ants may have sensed shifts in gas emissions, the Earth's magnetic field, or even thermal anomalies, which allowed them to detect earthquakes. Although ants and housepets such as cats and dogs are not the same, there is a possibility that there could be a correlation between detecting environmental shifts and our pets, however it cannot be scientifically proven. According to a researcher named ²Heiko Woith, “ researchers cannot be sure that their [animals] observations relate to an earthquake and not some other kind of environmental change or long-term fluctuation in the health of an animal population or its predators.” To summarize, the claim that animals can predict earthquakes is not fully able to be proven true or not, however without the scientific data it is not possible to verify the claim. 

Sources: 

Source 1: https://fountainmagazine.com/all-issues/2017/issue-119-september-october-2017/animals-that-sense-earthquakes

Source 2: https://www.seismosoc.org/news/can-animals-predict-earthquakes/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

 

Answer 6

Although it can be argued that there has historically been an uncanny pattern of pets reportedly acting “strangely” before an earthquake, there is not enough evidence in empirical data to say this is a direct correlation and not just coincidental data. It isn’t hard to explain why dogs/cats can feel an earthquake SECONDS before humans do. This does have to do with their senses being able to pick up the P(Primary)-Waves which are the fastest seismic waves from earthquakes that go unnoticed by humans. It's only in the brief proceeding moments that humans feel S(Secondary) seismic waves and can feel the earthquake happening (USGS) . This explains the brief irregular animal “freakout” that people observe in their pets before they realize what is happening. Predicting an earthquake hours or days prior is another story for cats and dogs. Historically, many accounts of people claiming their pet’s irregular behavior in the days prior predicted the earthquake could just be conjoining the observations after the fact. Much of the investigations regarding this question hint at the possibility of our pets having keen senses to things that were not able to effectively measure yet (groundwater changes, deep-earth rock crushing)(American Kennel Club). Essentially, there's just not enough conclusive scientific evidence to say for certain at the moment