Behavior of Cats During a Full Moon

Historically, throughout the years, there has been belief that the full moon caused people and animals to act quite bizarrely. The term ''lunatic'' derives from the word ''luna'' the Latin term for moon, and is used to depict a person affected by periodic insanity, as if affected by the phases of the moon. Cats have been reported to behave erratically as well -- and there are interesting studies to support that.

  1. Investigative Behaviors

    • Cats may be intrigued by increased critter activity.

      There are theories suggesting that since there is more light on a full moon night, pets may be more likely to roam about and get into mischief. While a cat's vision is known for being superior than humans at night, they cannot see well in the night when it is pitch black with no source of light. Also, a cat's interest in exploring the great outdoors on a full moon night may be triggered by the fact that there may be increased activity of outdoor critters facilitated by the moonlight.

    Reckless Behaviors

    • Kitty may get more in trouble on a full moon night.

      It may make sense to keep a watchful eye on your cat on a full moon. An interesting study conducted on the effects of the full moon on pets published on the July 15th, 2007, issue of the "Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association" provided evidence that more emergency room visits occurred on fuller moon days for both dogs and cats. The risk of emergencies for cats on full moon days was 23 percent greater, compared to all other days.

    Aggressive Behaviors

    • Watch the moon for irritable behaviors in kitty.

      If your cat appears to be moody on a full moon night, your observations can be actually on target. A study was conducted on the incidence of animal bites at the time of a full moon at a general hospital in an English city. The collected data reported that animal bites rose significantly at the time of a full moon with 56 cat bites making up 3.4 percent of the total animal bites.

    Owner Reports

    • Owners report odd behaviors on nights with a full moon.

      Cat owners as well can attest that their cats behave strangely when to moon shows its whole face. In a poll created by Petplace, 42.19 percent of cat owners reported that their cat engaged in some strange behaviors during a full moon, 29.69 percent claimed that no odd behaviors took place, whereas 28.13 percent were not sure. Reported behaviors consisted of staring at nothing visible, running around, increased vocalizations,and acting aggressively towards other cats.