A Look At History's Famous Pet Forecasters
Apparently, humans aren’t the only ones who like to gaze into a crystal ball. Through the years, many pets have also shown an incredible knack for forecasting future events. Here’s a look at some of history’s most uncanny pet prognosticators. * Earthquake Kitty -- Patchy, a black and orange stray cat, made a home for herself in the elephant house at the San Francisco Zoo. Every evening the old feline would curl up and sleep in a warm corner of the large structure. But on October 16, 1989, Patchy kept clear of the elephant house, refusing to come in to eat or sleep. Whenever zoo employee Nancy Schofield took Patchy inside, the determined cat quickly scurried back outdoors. Patchy’s “peculiar” behavior suddenly made sense the next day, when a major earthquake struck San Francisco, making it unsafe to remain in the elephant house. Apparently, Patchy wasn’t the only pet with an ability to predict tremors. Rolf, a stray dog adopted by a German attorney, gained notoriety in 1917 by predicting the famous Mannheim earthquake. * Sports Hounds -- Missie, a small dog that lived in Denver in the 1960s, achieved local fame by predicting baseball scores. Before the start of the 1966 Major League Baseball season, the alert Boston Terrier mix predicted the two teams that would be in the World Series. As if that weren’t impressive enough, Missie also correctly forecast the score of each game in the “Fall Classic.” The incredible pooch made her predictions by pointing to team names and numbers. Chris the “Wonder Dog” was also a talented sports prognosticator, known for his ability to predict the outcome of major horse races. It was said that the beagle mix from Warwick Rhode Island could also subtract and multiply. * Weathervanes -- Throughout history, people have looked to cats to forecast changes in the weather. According to early American legend, when a cat sat with its back to the fire on an autumn evening, it was a sure sign that a bitter cold front was on its way.   |