Dogs and Cats
Dogs frequently exhibit severe anxiety during thunderstorms; between 15 and 30 percent may be affected. Research confirms high levels of cortisol - a hormone associated with stress - in affected dogs during and after thunderstorms. Remedies include behavioral therapies such as counter-conditioning and desensitization, anti-anxiety medications, and Dog Appeasing Pheromone, a synthetic analogue of a hormone secreted by nursing canine mothers.
Studies have also shown that cats can be afraid of thunderstorms. While it is very rare, there are some unusual exceptions in which cats will hide under a table or behind a couch during a thunderstorm.
Read more about this topic: Astraphobia
Famous quotes containing the words dogs and/or cats:
“I should count myself the coward if I left them, my Lord Howard,
To these Inquisition dogs and the devildoms of Spain.’”
—Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892)
“Animals are ever so psychic. There are some people who just can’t come in here.... The cats particularly. They seem to know. You can fool everybody, but landy M deary-me, you can’t fool a cat. They seem to know who’s not right, if you know what I mean.”
—Dewitt Bodeen (1908–1988)