are your kitties scared of thunderstorms?

I am curious...
Jake howls every time there is a thunderstorm and he's not in the same room as me. As soon as I call him he comes to me and stops howling...This has always been happening!! I didn't think animals were scared of thunder..

Originally Posted by ut0pia

I am curious...
Jake howls every time there is a thunderstorm and he's not in the same room as me. As soon as I call him he comes to me and stops howling...This has always been happening!! I didn't think animals were scared of thunder..

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Jazzy is really scared of thunderstroms, we had one of the worst (I live in Western Australia ;]) she hid under our beds and such, she wouldn't come out. When she did it had stopped but then she heard thunder again and ran back under our bed, she added to the stress of that day LOL

Jackz & Jazzy.

Mine aren't, but when we had the two little Chicago earthquakes, they both leaped onto my bed as though they were being chased. Couldn't figure it out til I put the news on (they were tiny little earthquakes).

That said, I know lots of folks with dogs who are terrified of storms - one friend has had to sedate her dog during particularly bad storms.

Callie used to run and hide when there were storms when I first got her. I'm sure that thunderstorms were no fun for her when she was a stray! She then progressed to hiding under the coffee table. If it happened at night, she'd jump in bed and stick to me like glue. Now, 12 years later, she sleeps right through them, big thunder and everything.

Hannah doesn't like storms at all! She gets all nervous and jittery. There have been times when I've had to put her in her carrier and sit her next to me on the couch or by my feet because she was so nervous. At night, like last night, she jumps in bed with me and snuggles up.

Penny is scared of thunder. Daisy I don't know-I don't think she likes it but clearly she's not as scared as Penny.

Mine love thunderstorms, they race to the windows at the first sound of thunder.

Abby is, but not as bad as she used to be. When she was younger she would run and hide in the closet. Now that she is older, she will stick around wherever she is. Her ears perk up and her eyes get big sometime, but she will only run off if there is an extra loud boom.

Ironically, they scare the bejeepers out of Ophelia Rose (she's deaf). It's not the sound of the storms, but she knows when they are coming & is very very very jittery. My "bravehearts" Dory, Gumby, & Lily all run & hide when it's storming bad out - otherwise the others don't care.

It's funny you posted this, because we just had a thunderstorm the other day, and I noticed that none of my three seemed disturbed. Weird, because two of them are fairly skittish when it comes to sudden noises.

Originally Posted by missymotus

Mine love thunderstorms, they race to the windows at the first sound of thunder.

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That's what Larry does. He goes right to the window and looks out. I always thought it was because of spending his early life on the streets. He'd probably be under a car during a storm, just watching.....which is what he does from the window.

Bugsy is really cute... He comes to wherever I am and stares at me, huge eyes, almost not breathing, really attentive, as to see how I react - If I do nothing, and just talk to him normally, he stays there for a couple of minutes, then goes about his day. If I get up or show signs of worry, he freaks and runs for under the bed.

Now.... There are some T-Storms here in Texas that shakes the ground, literally... and those, yes, there is no way they are not scared. Those scare me, who actually like storms... imagine them! Those are an experience...

Jazz not so much, Maggie hides under the bed, so I go sit and talk to her to calm her down.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Ironically, they scare the bejeepers out of Ophelia Rose (she's deaf). It's not the sound of the storms, but she knows when they are coming & is very very very jittery.

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Even when the lightning is a few miles away I can sometimes feel it through the ground and air - it's hard to explain. Animals have to feel this too because it'll make my geckos wander their cages more - the leos will wall climb.

Sho is my scaredy cat. He'll run from room to room, his eyes get huge, and if he'll stay still he'll either hide under a blanket or press up against whatever human he can get near.
The really loud storms, especially those with hail, get them all a little riled up. But not to any serious extent.

Lilly isn't afraid, she actually runs to the window and sits there. I have to remove her from there because I'm actually terrified. I know this one time when a huge thunder hit and she was laying by the couch and she heard it, it's like something bit her and she just bolted out of the room under the bed! That was the only time

Attitude and Nuts don't seem to care at all. I think they look out the window.

Taryn

Not at all! And my dogs aren't at all either.

Bella is also deaf, but feels the vibrations of the thunder and huddles close to me. My RB kitty-Little Man Tate used to LOVE THUNDERSTORMS and would dash to the window every time. That made me a nervous wreck!! It seems like the other babies I had would become more fearful the older they got. Before Bella lost her hearing she didn't appreciate the vacuum cleaner. She sees it now and still doesn't like it. Patches didn't like aluminum foil or plastic bags, but not until she got a lot older.

Bootser (originally an outside kitty) was petrified of t-storms. For years after we brought her into the house, she would go down the steps to the very bottom step, right outside of the basement door (we have a bi-level), and cower there until the storm was over.

No more. In fact, we had several nasty t-storms last night (with hail, too). She was lying in bed with me during the storms and I don't think she as much as twitched an ear when the thunder cracked.

None of the other cats are bothered. Even Mollipop was in the bay window last night and it didn't bother her at all.

Mine are a little nervous and will hide if it gets really bad. Hope they get used to it since we're moving back to the midwest next week

They just don't have as strong of storms here in Virginia