Paw Prints Column – Sedona Red Rock News
Published 7/24/26
Deb Grafe Columnist | Volunteer – Humane Society of Sedona
Storm awareness in cats, dogs, and other animals existed long before radar screens or weather apps. Folklore from the Midwest to the desert Southwest has long told us that creatures carry the sky in their bodies. Dogs grow restless before lightning. Cats retreat to high ground. Birds skim low when rain is near. These signs aren’t superstition; they’re living barometers, tuned to shifts in pressure, scent, and sound.
Here in Sedona, where monsoon season is stirring the afternoons with that familiar mix of heat, stillness, and sudden drama, Humane Society staff and volunteers often notice the dogs before they notice the clouds. A pup who was calm in its kennel an hour earlier may suddenly begin pacing, barking, ears angled toward some distant horizon. You’ve probably seen it yourself: the sky still blue, the air still calm, and yet your dog is shadowing your steps or pressing close with that unmistakable storm-born unease. No thunder yet. No darkening clouds. But something is happening—at least as far as your dog is concerned.
That “something” is usually a drop in barometric pressure, the atmospheric weight above us. Pressure falls before any visible sign of a storm, and dogs seem to feel that shift. As pressure drops, odor molecules travel differently—lower, slower, more diffuse. With up to 300 million scent receptors compared to our six million, dogs experience this as a dramatic change in their scent landscape. They also hear frequencies far below our range. Monsoon systems generate low‑frequency vibrations long before thunder cracks, and dogs pick up those rumblings while we remain blissfully unaware. Approaching storms build static charge in the air, too. Many dogs sense this and seek grounded places like tile floors or tucked corners—before the first raindrop falls.
According to the American Animal Hospital Association, barometric pressure changes can significantly affect dog behavior. A Penn State study found that thunder‑phobic dogs had cortisol levels up to 200 percent higher than non‑phobic dogs during storms. And just as people with old injuries “feel the weather coming,” dogs experience similar tissue‑level responses. When external pressure drops, gases and fluids in joints expand slightly. For senior dogs or those with hip dysplasia or past injuries, this can mean real discomfort—not just nervous pacing. If your older dog becomes stiff or reluctant to move before storms, that physical mechanism may be at work alongside any behavioral unease.
Cats respond differently. While dogs grow restless, cats grow still. Folklore across Europe and North America says cats climb to high places before storms, as if rising above the flood. At the shelter, they perch on shelves or settle atop their cat trees, eyes wide, whiskers forward, as if reading the air. During monsoon afternoons, when the light shifts and the air thickens just before the rain breaks open, the cats seem to know. Modern research supports the old stories. Studies in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery show that cats respond behaviorally to changes in barometric pressure and humidity. A 2025 Scientific Reports study demonstrated that falling pressure activates vestibular neurons in mammals, including cats, giving them a measurable sensitivity to approaching weather. Research in the Journal of Experimental Biology documents cats’ ability to detect low‑frequency thunder vibrations long before humans. Applied Animal Behavior Science links feline restlessness, hiding, and heightened alertness to incoming weather fronts. And Chemical Senses shows that cats can detect ozone, petrichor, and humidity‑related scent changes that precede storms. They are, in every sense, silent furry barometers.
Animals everywhere have carried weather wisdom long before there were meteorologists. Horses flare their nostrils and grow uneasy before storms. Bees stay in the hive when rain is imminent. In the Midwest cows lie down together when heavy weather approaches. Swallows skim low, chasing insects that sink in thickening air. Frogs croak louder before rain. Crickets change their chirping tempo with temperature. These signs are not just folklore, they’re the natural responses of animals attuned to the world around them.
Dear reader, if you’re hoping to improve the climate in your own home, may I gently suggest discovering the many homeless pets waiting for you—not just for a fair‑weather friend, but a forever companion. You could say…it’s raining cats and dogs at the Humane Society of Sedona. From big dogs to puppies, active dogs to couch potato’s. From kittens, teen cats to wise senior cats — a full mix awaits adoption. Learn more at www.humanesocietyofsedona.org Every animal waiting deserves a home where the forecast is steady, safe, and full of affection.
Mark your calendar for upcoming events. Now through July 26, Empty the Shelters brings open adoptions at the Humane Society of Sedona every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. On July 25, join in for Adopt Joy at PetSmart Sedona from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. And on August 15, we invite you to our Open House celebrating sixty years of history, featuring pet adoptions, Ken Rowe’s live sculpture, music, treats, a silent auction, shelter tours, and a history slideshow with Q&A. It’s a celebration of 60 years of community, compassion, and the animals who weather every storm with us.
