Can cats sense an earthquake? Viral video is from Japan.

According to reports from the time the viral video was shot at a pet cafe in Osaka, Japan, and depicts cats reacting to an earthquake that struck the region on 18 June, 2018. It has nothing to do with Turkey's recent earthquake.

It is commonly believed that animals can detect natural disasters before they occur. Stories about animals and birds sensing storms and earthquakes abound in the aftermath of natural disasters. Following the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, videos purportedly depicting this phenomenon in action have gone viral on social media.

Amidst this one video shows a group of cats at a pet store waking up and running across the room, as if panicked. They could be seen looking for a safer place moments before the room shook.

The caption of the video reads “In #Turkey, anxious behavior was observed in cats right before the #earthquakes #Earthquake #Lebanon #Syria #Kahramanmaras#Gaziantep#Khatai #Osmaniye #Adiyaman#Malatya#Diyarbakir#Turkey #earthquake #Turkey

In #Turkey, anxious behavior was observed in cats right before the #earthquakes #Earthquake #Lebanon #Syria #Kahramanmaras #Gaziantep #Khatai #Osmaniye #Adiyaman #Malatya #Diyarbakir #Turkey #earthquake #Turkey pic.twitter.com/igiHzTiXOw

— Mohd Ahtisham Ahsan (@MohdAhtishamAh1) February 8, 2023

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Fact Check-

A Google reverse image search using the key frames from the viral video led us to the site of Spunik news. The same viral video was posted there on 15 July 2018 with a caption “Feeling the Vibes: Cats in Japanese Cafe Predict Impending Earthquake”.

Description reads “Footage from a cat cafe shows that only its feline inhabitants could feel the approaching danger, just a few moments before an earthquake struck. Luckily, it was not too severe and the cats calmed down after the building stopped shaking, returning to their sleep”.

In further search we found the same video uploaded on the YouTube channel of Viral Press with a caption “Cats Sense Impending Earthquake”. According to the description “Incredible video shows a group of cats' before and after reaction of an earthquake that happened in Northern Osaka, Japan on June 18, 2018.The cat cafe is called Neko cafe Catchy. The footage begins a few seconds before the quake showing a typical day at the cafe before opening hours, with cats curled up in their favourite spots. But a few seconds later the kitties appear to sense impending doom and raise their heads.

The footage ignited a debate about whether cats are able to sense earthquakes. None of the cats were injured in the incident and the cafe praised their "cleverness" while reminding people that all of the cats are available for adoption.

We later searched for more information about the incident and discovered reports. On 18 June, 2018, an earthquake measuring 6.1 magnitude struck the Japanese coastal city of Osaka and surrounding areas. It killed three people and injured over 200 others.

We also used Google Maps to find the cafe, which is in Wakayama, a city in Japan's Kansai region. The Google Maps images of the cafe matched the interior seen in the viral video.

As per this information the video was from the pet cafe in Osaka, Japan, and was captured by the surveillance camera in the store. It reportedly showed the cats reacting to an earthquake that shook the region on 18 June, 2018.

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral video to be Misleading. According to reports from the time the viral video was shot at a pet cafe in Osaka, Japan, and depicts cats reacting to an earthquake that struck the region on 18 June, 2018. It has nothing to do with Turkey's recent earthquake.