Animals & Paranormal Activity

lisaface

I'm just wondering, can animals sense paranormal activity?

Riamfada

My cat used to hiss at a random corner of the room. Only once or twice.

lisaface

Grimes wrote: »

My cat used to hiss at a random corner of the room. Only once or twice.

Ever find out why?

---

I've done some googling & it's hard to tell if it's just a myth or if it's true. Some sites have said dogs/cats ect have that 6th sense, and also both animals & children can sense things we adults can't, simply because we allow not to?!??

I would like to know though, if anyone is aware if it's true?

Riamfada

lisaface wrote: »

Ever find out why?

---

I've done some googling & it's hard to tell if it's just a myth or if it's true. Some sites have said dogs/cats ect have that 6th sense, and also both animals & children can sense things we adults can't, simply because we allow not to?!??

I would like to know though, if anyone is aware if it's true?

no

lisaface

Grimes wrote: »

no

Well that sucks

Riamfada

lisaface wrote: »

Well that sucks

Sorry, im doing a million things at once. I took it to the animals and pets forum but they gave me joke answers about ghosts. I never found out what it was, obviously something spooked the cat.

lisaface

Grimes wrote: »

Sorry, im doing a million things at once. I took it to the animals and pets forum but they gave me joke answers about ghosts. I never found out what it was, obviously something spooked the cat.

Well , I'd like to believe its true! Either that or my dogs got issues. Perhaps a mouse? Although we'd see that thing.
Maybe he's just going crazy.

I did wonder earlier was it his own shadow he was sniffing the ground at and perking his ears and pulling weird facial expressions at. As my mums bf said 'he's been so close to the ground, he's probably not seen his own shadow yet' - I was questioning was he being agitated by his own shadow!!

That and random growing/snarling/barking at nothing! Oh well

----
Anyone else have opinions they'd like to share, don't be shy now! Or anyone else have their animal do 'weird' things!?

maccored

i have cats that chase invisible things but I always assumed that a) cats are a bit mad anyway b) its very very small insects i cant see or c) the cat is in fact chasing a scent which I cant smell.

I'd assume animals can smell things we cant, hear things we cant and maybe have more acute eyesight. Not too sure I'd always assume its a ghost though.

tyler71

Cats and Dogs have so much better senses than us that they can clearly pick up things that are completely invisible to us, but not necessarily paranormal.
Just around this time of the year is when mice are trying to get back into nice warm houses, we've had this problem for a few years and for a while were always puzzled by our dog standing and growling at corners or standing watching a spot for hours until we figured she was tracking where the mice had been (they were in the walls!). We started following her, and found all the entry points where the mice were getting in, blocked them and thanks to her have been mouse free for a while (fingers crossed). So while I'm not saying your dog isn't picking up something unusual, usually the simplest explanation is the most likely - either way it's worthwhile paying attention to her!

sambuka41

Yeah animals can be a bit loopy at times!! My current dog barks at nothing, all the time

But years ago I was staying in my house alone (most of these types of stories start like this dont they!!!) I could hear someone walking up the stairs,the footsteps,creaky house. My dog at the time was sat at the top of the stairs snarling and barking viciously at the sound. It was really out of character for him. As the sound made it to the top of the stairs he was snapping and snarling at nothing.

I wasn't scared though,I didnt feel threatened. My grandmother died the year before and at the time i thought it was her,we didnt have that dog at the time. So i figured if he could see her then he wouldn't have recognized her. There was one or two more times in his life that he done that. On the other occasions i did feel threatened/ uncomfortable.

Ive become a bit more cynical since then though,so Im reluctant to say for certain that my dog seen something.

lisaface

tyler71 wrote: »

Cats and Dogs have so much better senses than us that they can clearly pick up things that are completely invisible to us, but not necessarily paranormal.
Just around this time of the year is when mice are trying to get back into nice warm houses, we've had this problem for a few years and for a while were always puzzled by our dog standing and growling at corners or standing watching a spot for hours until we figured she was tracking where the mice had been (they were in the walls!). We started following her, and found all the entry points where the mice were getting in, blocked them and thanks to her have been mouse free for a while (fingers crossed). So while I'm not saying your dog isn't picking up something unusual, usually the simplest explanation is the most likely - either way it's worthwhile paying attention to her!

Yeah I was thinking HE might be barking at mice. I've a massive phobia of mice though, i'm really hoping it isn't that. I'd much prefer for him to be crazy than that!! ha ha

sambuka41 wrote: »

Yeah animals can be a bit loopy at times!! My current dog barks at nothing, all the time But years ago I was staying in my house alone (most of these types of stories start like this dont they!!!) I could hear someone walking up the stairs,the footsteps,creaky house. My dog at the time was sat at the top of the stairs snarling and barking viciously at the sound. It was really out of character for him. As the sound made it to the top of the stairs he was snapping and snarling at nothing. I wasn't scared though,I didnt feel threatened. My grandmother died the year before and at the time i thought it was her,we didnt have that dog at the time. So i figured if he could see her then he wouldn't have recognized her. There was one or two more times in his life that he done that. On the other occasions i did feel threatened/ uncomfortable.

Ive become a bit more cynical since then though,so Im reluctant to say for certain that my dog seen something.

Yes, they do always start like that ha - no yeah I don't know, he's just acting weird, I suppose he's only 7months like, so he's probs just getting used to the darkness. Either that or he really is crackerjacks like he's such a cutie, but a lil bit sly, so could just be doing the barking at nothing for 'attention' ha ha

MrMojoRisin

Grimes wrote: »

I took it to the animals and pets forum but they gave me joke answers about ghosts.

Saucy bastards.

But if you take any query outside the Paranormal forum, they attack it like a group of rats mauling a pig's corpse. :rolleyes:

How could you ever prove what cats, dogs, etc, see? If they start hissing at a corner of a room or whatever, you'd want to be fairly sharp to run off to get a video camera and an EVP recorder to try to capture something. I'd say that's all you could ever do really.

My cousin said she saw something, e.g. a ghost, or near enough to one, a few years ago when she was out walking her dog. What prompted her to look at the spot where she saw the thing was when she saw the dog looking intently at where it turned out to be situated. The dog never growled or anything - it just followed the movement of that ghost thing with its eyes. She's 100% certain the dog saw what she saw which, funnily enough, made her feel like she wasn't going mental.

I know I could very easily be talking out of my arse to people on here, but that is a true story.

I don't recall having ever noticed animals react strangely to anything myself. Apart from the usual staring-at-what-appears-to-be-nothing thing they often do.

Major Lovechild

lisaface wrote: »

I'm just wondering, can animals sense paranormal activity?

The short answer is no. And they have more sense that us.

mcmoustache

I'd say they can be prone to the same sorts of hallucinations as the rest of us.

So yes, I'd have to say that they can see ghosts.

Major Lovechild

Don't feed your dog weed!

KeithAFC

mcmoustache wrote: »

I'd say they can be prone to the same sorts of hallucinations as the rest of us.

So yes, I'd have to say that they can see ghosts.

Its very easy to say all paranormal experiences are hallucinations. Actually, the more people just pass it off as that, the more i think it should be looked into.

Urizen

My cat often sits on my chair and just stares at the living room door. Or will occasionally just stare at something I can't see on the stairs, or prick up her ears when I hear no sound. Dog used to do the same, in the same spots too. Even I will occasionally catch a flash of movement going by the doors in the house.

There's always theories floating around about dormant senses and the like. If we accept them as even partial fact, it might explain animal behavior like that. Cats and dogs may have less atrophied organs and therefore be able to see ghosts and whatever. There are even studies claiming that babies can sense spirits, and lose the ability as they age.

As to hallucination, all paranormal experiences CAN be passed off as hallucinations. The inverse could also be true. Who's to say that many, if not all hallucinations could be paranormal experiences being explained away by people who just don't want to believe.

That was long and I've repeated people, but my point is there... Somewhere

Dave!

KeithAFC wrote: »

Its very easy to say all paranormal experiences are hallucinations. Actually, the more people just pass it off as that, the more i think it should be looked into.

How about hallucination, misperception, pareidolia/pattern-seeking, false/unreliable memory, misinterpretation/ignorance, confirmation bias, sleep paralysis/vivid dreaming, etc.

MrMojoRisin

Dave! wrote: »

How about hallucination, misperception, pareidolia/pattern-seeking, false/unreliable memory, misinterpretation/ignorance, confirmation bias, sleep paralysis/vivid dreaming, etc.

Do you know if there's anywhere a person can go to get a full assessment that would confirm or rule out all of the above?

Would a visit to a psychiatrist (or more than one - let's say three of them) do the job? Or would you need to see a specialist in sleep disorders, or get an MRI scan as well to top it all off?

I'm being serious. I'd genuinely like to get a thorough psychiatric assessment.

But when you mention the sleep paralysis and vivid dreaming, I know that neither of those have featured in my unusual experiences in the past because I was awake during all those times. So, I can rule those out.

The other factors interest me though.

KeithAFC

Dave! wrote: »

How about hallucination, misperception, pareidolia/pattern-seeking, false/unreliable memory, misinterpretation/ignorance, confirmation bias, sleep paralysis/vivid dreaming, etc.

The one problem i have with a lot of that is when people report they are fully awake, walk up the stairs and see what looks like to them a clear apparation walk through a wall or stuff being thrown about the house or where ever they live etc.

I understand all those fair points you made and many of them i do agree with when it comes to paranormal experiences but i don't buy into it when people say those are all the reasons for it.

I honestly think people do see things which can't be explained by those simple terms. Iv been studying cases of poltergeist activity for a while now and its amazing with the way it works. You rarely ever see the activity in full flight but you can hear the bang. Reports of objects flying out of walls etc. Really facinating stuff. Almost as if its another dimension.

Dave!

KeithAFC wrote: »

The one problem i have with a lot of that is when people report they are fully awake, walk up the stairs and see what looks like to them a clear apparation walk through a wall or stuff being thrown about the house or where ever they live etc.

Well two things regarding that:

(a) misperception/misinterpretation/pareidolia, and the likes, occur just as easily when someone is awake as when they are asleep. There's alot of scope for having 'paranormal' experiences while awake purely due to human psychology and neurology.

(b) lots of people report seeing Elvis alive, the Loch Ness Monster, speaking to god/s (depending on your culture), etc. Many paranormal believers weed these out and consider them silly, but on what basis do you rule out these subjective stories, but not others? And how do you verify the stories anyway? These are some of the reasons why anecdotal evidence is not considered very compelling in science.

KeithAFC wrote: »

I honestly think people do see things which can't be explained by those simple terms. Iv been studying cases of poltergeist activity for a while now and its amazing with the way it works. You rarely ever see the activity in full flight but you can hear the bang. Reports of objects flying out of walls etc. Really facinating stuff. Almost as if its another dimension.

For the reasons above, I don't find these stories very compelling I'm afraid. If they would occur in some unambiguous situation then they would be worth investigating very thoroughly, but they usually don't. Why don't poltergeists go to Old Trafford and start throwing stuff around on the pitch for a prolonged period? That would be pretty hard to refute. Enthusiasts will say that that is not poltergeists' M.O. -- maybe they're 'tied' to a particular location because of a traumatic experience there.

But that's just retrofitting the behavior so that it fits in with the stories -- there is no 'standard' poltergeist behavior to compare stories to. The stories come first, and then this is described as poltergeist behavior. This is the trouble with this kind of research.

MrMojoRisin wrote: »

Do you know if there's anywhere a person can go to get a full assessment that would confirm or rule out all of the above?

Would a visit to a psychiatrist (or more than one - let's say three of them) do the job? Or would you need to see a specialist in sleep disorders, or get an MRI scan as well to top it all off?

I'm being serious. I'd genuinely like to get a thorough psychiatric assessment.

But when you mention the sleep paralysis and vivid dreaming, I know that neither of those have featured in my unusual experiences in the past because I was awake during all those times. So, I can rule those out.

The other factors interest me though.

There's nothing to get 'checked out' for -- they're normal features of human perception and psychology. This is another reason why scientists have a high standard of evidence and don't rely on anecdotes. It's too easy to misinterpret something, and memories get distorted over time, and confirmation bias plays a role in this, so depending on your perspective you may end up exaggerating the details that support your theory, and omitting the details that don't support it.

MrMojoRisin

Dave! wrote: »

There's nothing to get 'checked out' for -- they're normal features of human perception and psychology. This is another reason why scientists have a high standard of evidence and don't rely on anecdotes. It's too easy to misinterpret something, and memories get distorted over time, and confirmation bias plays a role in this, so depending on your perspective you may end up exaggerating the details that support your theory, and omitting the details that don't support it.

Ah sure, come on? Surely to Christ someone can be psychologically assessed to ascertain whether or not they're prone to misperceptions/distorted perceptions, hallucinations, false memory inclinations, likelihood to exhibit confirmation bias tendencies and all the rest?

I never said anything about scientists needing to rely on mere anecdotes, btw.

I think you're having a laugh by suggesting a person is unable to be assessed professionally for displaying or embodying (or not) any of the above.

Another thing... I think that reason can only take the frontiers of science only so far, btw. Any physical theory is always provisional, in the sense that it is only a hypothesis: you can never prove it. No matter how many times the results of experiments agree with some theory, you can never be sure that the next time the result will not contradict the theory. On the other hand, you can disprove a theory by finding even a single observation that disagrees with the predictions of the theory. A good theory is characterised by the fact that it makes a number of predictions that could in principle be disproved or falsified by observation. Each time new experiments are observed to agree with the predictions, the theory survives, and confidence in it increases. But if a new observation is found to disagree, the theory must be abandoned or modified.

You must always question the competence of the person or people who carry out these observations. So, science is not infallible because it is humans who carry it out - humans who are prone to the all-too-human trait of subjectivity too. That's worth keeping in mind.

KeithAFC

(a) misperception/misinterpretation/pareidolia, and the likes, occur just as easily when someone is awake as when they are asleep. There's alot of scope for having 'paranormal' experiences while awake purely due to human psychology and neurology.

(b) lots of people report seeing Elvis alive, the Loch Ness Monster, speaking to god/s (depending on your culture), etc. Many paranormal believers weed these out and consider them silly, but on what basis do you rule out these subjective stories, but not others? And how do you verify the stories anyway? These are some of the reasons why anecdotal evidence is not considered very compelling in science.

Regarding some of your points, if im fully awake and know my surroundings and i see something walk through a wall and it has features on it which i can describe to pin point percision, i know its got nothing to do with my mind. Same with poltergeist activity.

If i was in a room and something was thrown at me and no one else is in the room with me, how the hell do i explain that to anyone, never mind myslef? No one would believe it but people do report these things. Iv been fascinated by poltergeist activity as i don't think everyone who reports this is mad or fake.

the purple tin

I was reading comments about the hellfire club here-

http://www.blather.net/blather/1998/10/the_irish_hellfire_club_no_smo.html

and everyone who brought a dog up to the place with them said the dogs got very weird and wouldn't go inside.
Dogs are also very good at reading peoples emotions too, so maybe that is what effects them. Who knows?

maccored

I have experienced poltergiest activity first hand and Im convinced it had more to do with the mental stress of one of my flatmates rather than spirits or entities. Just as fascinating mind you if it were, as we dont understand enough about the mind and how/if it can interact outside of the physical body.

KeithAFC wrote: »

Regarding some of your points, if im fully awake and know my surroundings and i see something walk through a wall and it has features on it which i can describe to pin point percision, i know its got nothing to do with my mind. Same with poltergeist activity.

If i was in a room and something was thrown at me and no one else is in the room with me, how the hell do i explain that to anyone, never mind myslef? No one would believe it but people do report these things. Iv been fascinated by poltergeist activity as i don't think everyone who reports this is mad or fake.

stormkeeper

Unless animals start to be able to speak (which would be regarded as paranormal in itself!), it's unlikely we'll ever get a definitive answer to this question. Admittedly, I believe that animals can see stuff which is regarded by most people as "paranormal", even though it could be quite normal; the reason why something is regarded as paranormal is because it doesn't fir our perceptions of what is normal, possibly because it's not all that common on the whole. However, all that said, around 90% of anything claimed to be paranormal has a totally natural explanation; it only seems paranormal because we didn't know then what we knew after.

Socymonster

My previous employer told me how when he was younger he used to work in the local cinema, back in the 80's. he said he had experienced seats flapping up and down by themselves when he was cleaning.
One day he was brushing the mens toilets when a shadow of a person moved along the floor. Now, his pet labrador dog was there, the dog pricked his ears, starting whining, and ****ing ran out of there!!

lrushe

the purple tin wrote: »

I was reading comments about the hellfire club here- and everyone who brought a dog up to the place with them said the dogs got very weird and wouldn't go inside.

I was up there on Sunday, my Rottweiler come inside and followed my bf into every room upstairs and down, no problem!

Dave!

MrMojoRisin wrote: »

Ah sure, come on? Surely to Christ someone can be psychologically assessed to ascertain whether or not they're prone to misperceptions/distorted perceptions, hallucinations, false memory inclinations, likelihood to exhibit confirmation bias tendencies and all the rest?

I never said anything about scientists needing to rely on mere anecdotes, btw.

I think you're having a laugh by suggesting a person is unable to be assessed professionally for displaying or embodying (or not) any of the above.

I dunno about being tested individually, but there are enough studies and research to show that these are common, and in certain circumstances normal, features of human psychology. You might as well ask can you be tested to see if you're inclined towards increased heart-rate, blood pressure and skin conductivity when exposed to an arousing stimulus -- of course you are, you're a human!

MrMojoRisin wrote: »

Another thing... I think that reason can only take the frontiers of science only so far, btw. Any physical theory is always provisional, in the sense that it is only a hypothesis: you can never prove it. No matter how many times the results of experiments agree with some theory, you can never be sure that the next time the result will not contradict the theory. On the other hand, you can disprove a theory by finding even a single observation that disagrees with the predictions of the theory. A good theory is characterised by the fact that it makes a number of predictions that could in principle be disproved or falsified by observation. Each time new experiments are observed to agree with the predictions, the theory survives, and confidence in it increases. But if a new observation is found to disagree, the theory must be abandoned or modified.

You must always question the competence of the person or people who carry out these observations. So, science is not infallible because it is humans who carry it out - humans who are prone to the all-too-human trait of subjectivity too. That's worth keeping in mind.

Certainly. Nobody claims that science is infallible or that scientists are perfect, that's a bit of a strawman argument. The good thing about science (as opposed to other modalities) is that theories change and evolve (and indeed, are falsified) as more data comes in. That's how you know you're closing in on the truth; if we still subscribed to all of the same theories that were floating around 2000 years ago, before modern science and technology, then it'd be quite unusual.

Maybe paranormal enthusiasts should start forming theories and making testable predictions instead of anomaly hunting?

BTW perhaps you'd like to clarify what would be a better way to conduct science than by the use of reason, logic and demand for a high standard of evidence? You think 'emotion' would take us closer to the truth?

KeithAFC wrote: »

Regarding some of your points, if im fully awake and know my surroundings and i see something walk through a wall and it has features on it which i can describe to pin point percision, i know its got nothing to do with my mind. Same with poltergeist activity.

If i was in a room and something was thrown at me and no one else is in the room with me, how the hell do i explain that to anyone, never mind myslef? No one would believe it but people do report these things. Iv been fascinated by poltergeist activity as i don't think everyone who reports this is mad or fake.

Those are cool stories, but that's all they are tbh. I gather you don't believe every story you hear? If I told you I saw a unicorn flying through the sky today, would you believe me?

What about if I told you I witnessed someone performing miracles?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sathya_Sai_Baba

stepdoyle

is there any water pipes or electrical wiring in that area of the house?

watched a program about dogs being able to sense cancer in people and also when someone is about to have an epileptic fit. They can also sense earthquakes before they hit. They are very sensitive and scientists are struggling to explain how. Not saying your dog sees a ghost but he could be sensing some electrical field or even insects crawling. Check for cockroaches too.

Ziycon

As with humans and most other animals, we all crave attention and its been known that animals will act up to get that attention.

When your dog or cat hiss, barks etc at nothing, give them attention and call their name and you'll see that its not paranormal at all.

Also dogs are known to bark at any reflection and any noises be it the wind or whatever, its just a small bit of anxiety. Put them to sleep in a quite place away from low windows or mirrors.

maccored

Dave! wrote: »

Maybe paranormal enthusiasts should start forming theories and making testable predictions instead of anomaly hunting?

Many do. Its a pity the more cynical dont do the same, considering they are so convinced the paranormal is rubbish, but yet havent done a tap of research to back that up.

Oryx

Dave! wrote: »

Those are cool stories, but that's all they are tbh.

Thats all this forum ever is. Stories and experiences. Cos we cant really set up a lab here can we?

Dave!

Oryx wrote: »

Thats all this forum ever is. Stories and experiences. Cos we cant really set up a lab here can we?

If people fancied it, they could link to experiments/studies that address paranormal phenomena.

If ye are content to just repeat "stories and experiences" (aka anecdotes, aka worthless evidence), then ye might as well just buy this:



Stories don't get us any closer to the truth tbh

maccored, there's been plenty of research done to explain paranormal phenonema. Google: hallucination, misperception, pareidolia/pattern-seeking, false/unreliable memory, confirmation bias, sleep paralysis/vivid dreaming, etc.

Oryx

Dave, go back to the charter and see why this forum was set up. It was for discussion, not proof of anything.