Excursion into history
Representatives of the cat family have been endowed with supernatural abilities since the Egyptians managed to tame them. Initially, cats were bred for the purpose of exterminating rodents, but subsequently cats turned into objects of worship. Cats were reputed to be the personification of the goddess of beauty, hearth and fertility. Their cult still exists to some extent in Egypt.
Special vision
In many religious systems, these animals served as guides to the world of the dead or were companions of spirits and deities. Since ancient times, the magical ability of cats to see not only ghosts, but also, in general, another world hidden from us by a layer of reality, was explained by the peculiarities of vision of these animals - the unique ability to see in the dark and the magical glow of their eyes. After all, an animal with such unusual vision cannot help but observe something irrational!
However, from a scientific point of view, this phenomenon is explained quite simply. On the surface of a cat's eyes there are special photoreceptors, much larger in number than in humans - they are what allow the cat's eyes to see in the dark. The glow is due to the presence of a special “reflector”, thanks to which the light is used with maximum benefit, and is not absorbed by the retina, as in humans.
In the Middle Ages, Christians perceived the cult of the cat as proof of its closeness to dark forces, so animals, especially black ones, began to be destroyed.
As a result, ideas about the peculiarities of a cat’s vision and the mystical nature of the “sacred animal” traditionally overlap one another. However, at some point even ardent skeptics who are directly related to science may believe that their cat saw a ghost.
Proof
The first evidence of the transmission of animal experiences comes from the writer H. Rider Haggar, who had an apparent dream that his dog was dying. A dog named Bob received a mortal wound from a night train and was thrown into the water under a bush, which his owner saw in a dream.
Such mysticism was widely reported in the foreign press, carefully studied and documented by Mr. Haggard himself and the Anglo-American Society for Psychical Research. She encouraged scientists to study the possible telepathic connection between humans and animals.
Why do they think cats see ghosts?
All owners from time to time notice absurdities in the behavior of their pets. Some are inclined to explain the strangeness precisely by the fact that the cats saw a ghost. “Inappropriate” behavior of animals, when there seems to be no object of attention, manifests itself in the following:
- They arch their backs, snort, raise their tails straight up, and jump;
- look intently at one point without moving;
- they begin to hiss and run out of the room as fast as they can;
- they play happily with something, running around the room, but there is no toy in their paws;
- they get scared, look around or run away as if someone is chasing them;
- avoid a certain place in the house (corner, piece of furniture, etc.).
Are you familiar with such situations? Don’t rush to immediately look for reasons for cats’ behavior in the otherworldly realm. Modern science tends to explain the overwhelming number of such cases quite simply and logically.
Smell and hearing
If you are sure that your cat sees ghosts, what we categorically do not recommend doing is immediately contacting psychics. Remember that in addition to her unusual vision, she has very acute hearing. When hunting for mice, a cat relies primarily on sounds from the movements of its intended prey. The human ear is unable to detect this faint sound, but in our smaller brothers the hunting instinct is triggered.
In addition, our pets are endowed with an amazing sense of smell. In addition to the nose, cats, as scientists have proven, have a so-called “Jacobson's organ”, which is located on the palate. With the help of this “device” our pets sense odors at a great distance. In most cases, this explains the seeming oddities in the behavior of pets.
The third explanation for the “strange” actions of felines lies in their character. Even adults are prone to games and the desire to have fun in those moments when it becomes boring. Therefore, jumping, snorting, hissing, etc. may be just a game element.
Mystical abilities of cats
Magicians and psychics are sure that cats are guardians who stand on the border of the astral world and the real one. If a portal to the astral plane opens, clots of negative energy, ghosts, and demons can come out of it. According to legends, it is the guests from the other world that the cat senses, which is why at times it becomes aggressive and wary. In addition, cats have developed intuition, which helps the pet “predict” earthquakes, fires, and floods. Anticipating a catastrophe, the cat tries to get away from the unfavorable place in advance.
Traditional healers and mediums are confident that a pet senses the owner’s illness, even if the illness has not yet manifested itself with pronounced symptoms. At this time, the “dirty” energy of the disease emanates from the diseased organ, which helps the cat identify the location of the pathological process and heal it with its healing energy. The animal simply comes and lies on the unhealthy organ, begins to purr, getting into a special resonance with the owner’s body, and healing occurs. The cat also relieves tension and stress of the owner, cleanses him of negative energy. People who wish harm to the owner do not tolerate the presence of his cat next to them.
Maybe it really is the ghosts
The son of the famous director of the Cat Theater Yuri Kuklachev, Dmitry Kuklachev, does not wonder why cats see ghosts, but he does not doubt their paranormal abilities. The artist spoke about his confidence in an interview.
Once on tour with Dmitry’s cats, an amazing thing happened. During the rehearsal, the animals did not look at the artist giving commands, but at a completely different point. It turned out to be an ordinary white column, next to which, at first glance, there was nothing unusual. During the performance the situation did not change, and the performance was almost disrupted. Later, Dmitry Kuklachev was told that one day a crow flew into this hall and died near that same white column.
There is also a famous story about a grandmother and her cat. The woman lived with her pet for a long time until she died. Her grandson and his family moved into the apartment. The cat behaved friendly and quiet with its new owners. But when the next anniversary of the death of his beloved owner came, the animal sat for hours at the front door and looked at her.
From time to time the cat meowed, as if he was having a conversation with someone. The new residents noticed the pet’s unusual behavior and, thanks to this, never forgot about the anniversary of their grandmother’s death.
However, there is no evidence in modern science that cats see ghosts, and it is worth noting that all these cases may have completely natural explanations. Therefore, it’s everyone’s personal choice whether to believe mysticism or not. Perhaps a video will help you confirm your opinion and answer the question of whether cats see ghosts.
Scientific findings
Each of Professor Bozzano's conclusions is increasingly striking. They suggest that even if we want to show our consistency in the analysis of individual cases, we still must recognize that there are a large number of significant and indisputable facts that are difficult to question.
“From all of the above, it follows that the possibility of psychic perception in animals cannot be denied. And if, from the point of view of scientific research, humanity has a long way to go in order to consider the category of phenomena under consideration proven, then, on the other hand, we can without a doubt admit that the verdict of scientists cannot but be completely affirmative.”
Grudge Avenger
Like living cats, and especially cats, their ghosts can be vindictive. This is exactly the ghost that lived in a secluded hunting lodge located in the Wicklow Mountains. It was once home to the Dublin Club. There were rumors among residents of Northern Ireland about ugly drunken orgies that club members organized at the hunting lodge. Sometimes the hunters' fun went beyond all limits: the scoundrels attacked random passers-by and tortured animals that fell into their hands. One of these silent victims was a stray black cat, beaten to death by drunken revelers. Then the hunting lodge was empty for a long time, until the O'Brien couple bought it in the 60s of the last century. Before buying the house, the new owner's wife Margaret heard stories about a strange black cat that lived nearby. But similar stories circulate in Ireland about most old houses, and the woman did not attach any importance to them. The couple decided to put the purchased house in order and open a small art gallery in it, where local artists could exhibit their works and sell them to visiting tourists. But as soon as the renovation began, the workers began to fearfully tell the new owners about doors opening spontaneously, strange sounds coming from empty rooms, and other mysterious and inexplicable phenomena. Most of all, people were afraid of the sudden invasion of a large black cat. One night, local artist Tom Macassie was working on the interior of the ballroom. Suddenly the hard worker heard an angry cat hissing coming from the hallway. Macassie quickly slammed and locked the door, but it immediately swung open again. A huge black cat appeared on the threshold. He stood motionless for a minute, and then began to approach the artist. Macassie gave in and came to his senses only when he found himself far from home. After that, unpleasant miracles continued to happen there: the lights would turn on and off by themselves, and at night the owners would be woken up by a deafening ringing of the doorbell, although the bell had long been removed. One morning the O'Briens discovered that one antique chair had been smashed to pieces and the upholstery had been torn off from another. Then the mysterious ghost took over the works of art: he tore paintings to shreds and smashed ceramics. The black cat's rampages ended only after Mrs. O'Brien turned to a priest who exorcised spirits.
Superstitions
Not a single researcher of mystical phenomena can explain why so many superstitions are associated with cats. According to some legends, they are messengers from other planets. The main goal is to steal the human soul. Therefore, looking into her eyes is extremely undesirable.
Let's remember literary characters. The famous Behemoth from Bulgakov’s “The Master and Margarita” - it’s difficult to call this hero positive. Who is Baba Yaga's constant companion? Of course, a fluffy cat. In almost all works, cats are negative characters. And this is not without reason. Literature greatly influences people's consciousness. Hence the prejudices.
A dog's sixth sense
In addition to the five senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing), dogs also have a sixth sense - that 'gut' feeling we get when something is wrong."
The difference, however, is that dogs are more likely to trust their feelings and respond accordingly to those feelings, while most people's minds analyze what is happening and deny the possibility of the existence of lights or spirits.
When a dog runs and sits at the door waiting for its owner, this behavior may be a habit that can simply be learned through repetition.
But if the owner comes home much earlier than usual and the dog is already sitting at the door within minutes of his arrival, this inexplicable behavior may seem like a dog's sixth sense.
Dogs also have the ability to detect impending disasters before they happen thanks to their strong sense of smell.
Barometric pressure and all natural phenomena are associated with odors. They are beyond our ability to smell them, but dogs can sense these changes immediately.
Skeptics' opinion
Skeptics, including scientists, deny that cats can see objects in the other world. And behavior, which for an ordinary person seems an inexplicable mystery, they explain only by the structural features and functioning of the sense organs of these amazing animals.
Firstly, a cat’s vision is structured completely differently compared to a human’s. Just look at the tapetum - a reflective layer behind the fiber, thanks to which a cat's eyes can mystically glow in the dark. Scientists associate another explanation for the mysterious behavior of pets with the viewing angle, which in cats is 200 ° (in humans - 180 °) and allows you to cover up to 45% of the object, assess its size, speed of movement and distance. It is this ability that can explain the unusual behavior of the animal, which seems to be playing with something invisible, but in reality it only catches a midge, which the human eye is not always able to see at first glance. The peculiarities of vision also explain the behavior when the pet freezes and peers intently into a chest of drawers or closet: he is just trying to look at the small details of the decor or objects standing there, because it is difficult for him to focus his vision on small static objects.
Secondly, the perception of sounds by a person and a cat is completely different, because the latter are able to perceive a frequency 4-5 times higher. This means that animals can respond to ultrasonic waves that humans cannot hear due to their high frequency, and can hear them at a distance of up to 500 m. When a cat begins to look around mysteriously, it may simply be trying to locate the source of the sound.
To make the supernatural abilities of a cat’s hearing more convincing, we can give an example that a cat can hear the movement of a mouse at a distance of 10 m, and when it moves across the lawn. It’s hard for a person to even imagine such a sound. This may also explain why a pet sometimes stares intently at a wall or ceiling, as if it sees a ghost there, or suddenly begins to look around suspiciously. In reality, he may simply hear the movement of another cat on the roof, the rustling of leaves outside the window, or the sound of music coming from a distant apartment.
For those who still doubt whether cats see the other world, in addition to their incredibly sensitive hearing, it is worth mentioning the fact that animal ears are able to determine the direction of a sound source with an accuracy of 5°, which a person is simply not capable of. This is possible thanks to the mobility of the ears, which work in a similar way to spy locators. When the pet once again begins to turn its head or move its ears, as if seeing something otherworldly, in reality it is simply trying to determine where the sound comes from, sometimes not even audible to the human ear.
A little more complicated is the ability of cats to “see” the approach of natural disasters. But even here, scientists are confident in the absence of any connection with the other world, and such abilities are attributed to the fact that animals simply sense changes in the Earth’s magnetic field.
So, in the end there are two sides - the mystical nature of the animals themselves and the characteristics of the cat's senses. They overlap each other, which is why stories appear that cats and the other world are connected in some way. It is quite possible that people who truly believe in the existence of parallel worlds where cats are guides should not be convinced otherwise. Who knows what superpowers cats really have and when scientists will be able to find convincing evidence of their existence.
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