What’s the truth behind cat and dog myths and superstitions?

They are both very different things - a myth is a widely held but false belief or idea, or misrepresentation of the truth. Whereas a superstition is a belief that is not based on fact or scientific knowledge, but draws connections between events and the supernatural, nature, or even religion.

PDSA Vet Nurse Nina Downing unpacks some of the dog and cat myths and superstitions you may or may not believe:

*Dogs can sense if you’re a good or bad person

Many people might be guilty of not trusting people their dog doesn’t seem to like, but the reality is, our dogs can’t tell if a person is fundamentally ‘good’ or ‘bad’ - they can only go by what they see. Dogs have an amazing ability to read human body language and facial expressions, so if someone is uncomfortable around dogs or doesn’t like them, your dog might recognise that and not get so excited to see them. Does this make them a bad person? Not necessarily.

*If a cat cleans their ears, or a dog eats grass - it’s going to rain

Our pets cannot predict the weather. Generally, cats are very clean animals and like to groom themselves, so unless it’s going to rain every day, this superstition is untrue. If your cat is cleaning their ears, it’s just because they are keeping themselves clean.

There are a number of reasons our dogs might take a little nibble of grass every now and again - one of the most common being they just happen to like the taste or texture. This is a normal behaviour for dogs and isn’t usually linked to any health concerns. There is also no proof that your dog eating grass means it’s going to rain.

*One dog year equates to seven human years

This isn’t totally far from the truth, as our dogs have much shorter lifespans than humans, so it makes sense that we think they age a lot faster than people. The idea of 'dog years' and 'human years' is to more easily assess what stage of life your dog is in, whether that be: puppy, junior, adult, mature, or a senior. But the seven human years to one dog year isn’t a good rule to follow. This is based on the notion that dogs live about 10 years and humans live to about 70, but this of course isn’t true for every human let alone every dog, which can vary greatly. Different breeds live for different amounts of time, so they’ll all be ageing at different speeds. Smaller dogs tend to live longer than larger breeds so they will age more slowly.

*Cats have nine lives

Cats might seem lucky and lots of us have witnessed that they often land on their feet, but they definitely don’t have nine lives! As much as cat owners might wish their feline friends have a spare eight lives to play around with, and our cats are definitely tough! Unfortunately, like the rest of us, they aren’t invincible, and don’t have nine chances at life.

*Dogs and cats have a sixth sense

“All cat owners have probably experienced their feline friend running crazily from room to room, or dog owners might have seen their pooch barking at apparently nothing.

Cats and dogs can sense things we can’t - their hearing is much more sensitive than ours - but this doesn’t mean they’re sensing anything paranormal. They are just picking up on things that are happening around us that might be too quiet for us to hear.

*If your cat is frantically running around, the likelihood is that they are having a funny five minutes to get rid of the excess energy they might otherwise burn when hunting (in this case, some extra playtime is probably needed to satisfy your cats mental and physical stimulation needs). And sometimes our dogs will bark at something we can’t hear or maybe they’re just trying to get our attention!

There are many more myths and superstitions relating to pets - some have been around for hundreds of years. No matter what you believe, as long as you and your pet are happy and healthy, that’s the main thing.

For information and advice on how to take care of your pets, head to PDSA’s website: www.pdsa.org.uk/phh

PDSA nurse Nina Dowling answers your pet queries.

Q: Can I tell at home if my dog is too fat? My Labrador, Charlie seems to have gained a bit of weight recently. 
A: dogs come in all different builds and sizes depending on their breed-type, but a healthy shape is the same for every dog. You can carry out a ‘Body Condition Score’ (BCS) at home in a few simple steps. Run your hands along your dog’s sides. The skin should move freely over the ribs, which you should be able to feel with a light touch. Run your hands along your dog’s back. You should be able to feel the spine and hipbones under the skin without being able to see them - they shouldn’t be sticking out. Gently feel the base of your dog’s tail, there shouldn’t be a build-up of fat where the tail joins the spine. Feel under your dog’s tummy, it should go in, not bulge out. Look at your dog from the side and from above. You should be able to see a waist. If not, Charlie may be overweight, so best to get Charlie checked by your vet. Visit: pdsa.org.uk/weighup. 
Q: My recently adopted seven-year-old rescue cat Toffee keeps ‘kneading’ on my lap, is this a positive sign? 
A: Kneading is an instinctual, natural behaviour and begins when kittens are dependent on their mother for food - they will knead on their mother's stomach whilst feeding as it helps to stimulate milk flow.  
Why they continue to knead when they get older is a bit of a mystery but is commonly associated with positive emotions. Perhaps they knead because it feels good and is a relaxing motion, however an increase in this behaviour could mean that your cat is feeling worried and is trying to soothe themselves. If you notice your cat is kneading more than usual, speak with your vet.