This is why your pet could be acting weird this month

weird pet behaviours mercury retrograde
(Image credit: Getty)

Pets do the darndest things at times, but there could be a strange reason why.

Psychic astrologer Jessica Adams believes funny behaviour such as sitting in the toilet bowl, trying to eat candles and walking backwards could be down to a timely astrological phenomenon known as Mercury in retrograde.

Research of 2,000 cat and dog owners found our four-legged friends have been increasingly caught barking at nothing, eating mud and even trying to ‘dance’.

Acting like a human, trying to do a forward roll, sleeping in an empty bathtub and even sucking on a baby’s dummy were also among some of the unusual behaviours cited by the respondents polled by pet wellbeing specialist, ITCHpet.com.

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But while it may seem funny to owners, Adams believes there’s a strange rationale behind the madness.

She said, “Pets can do all sorts of unusual things and a lot of the time we, as humans, can find it thoroughly entertaining. It’s what makes our pets so loveable.

“However, their quirky goings on might be down to more than just a ‘funny five minutes’ - as it could be due to something called Mercury in retrograde.

weird pet behaviours mercury retrograde

Pet owners have found their pets sitting in the sink or bath (Credit: Getty)

“Mercury is the planet that actually rules pets. When it appears to go backwards and forwards, moving in peculiar ways, so does life in general - according to your horoscope.

"This is what’s known as Mercury Retrograde. And animals also get affected.

“In 2020 we have Mercury Retrograde, and Mercury Petrograde, three times; February and March. June and July. October and November.

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“So, if you think your pet’s behaving strangely, the answer is in the stars - with astrology at play.”

Has your pet been acting strangely? There are the weirdest things dogs and cats have done.

Top 30 weirdest pet behaviours

  1. Had a 'mad half hour' – such as running or darting crazily around the house
  2. Tried to catch flies
  3. Taken food out their owner’s hand
  4. Chased their own tail
  5. Tried to catch a flying bird
  6. Head-butted their owner
  7. Chased a leaf
  8. Stood up on hind legs / sat on hind legs like a human
  9. Howled / barked at the TV
  10. Howled / barked at nothing
  11. Drank out of a mug
  12. Climbed into a carrier bag
  13. Bitten their own tail
  14. Tried to 'talk'
  15. Deliberately done things their owner has told them not to
  16. Barked at blank space
  17. Slept on their owner’s face
  18. Carried around a log
  19. Walked into a window / glass door
  20. Jumped on the TV
  21. Bitten at their owner’s hair as if it were another animal
  22. Dug at a hard floor
  23. Barked at themselves in the mirror
  24. Sat in the sink / bath with the tap running
  25. Refused to let other animals / people near their owner
  26. Howled / sang along to a song
  27. Barked at the phone
  28. Cat barked
  29. Eaten mud
  30. Ran backwards
Aleesha Badkar
Lifestyle Writer

Aleesha Badkar is a lifestyle writer who specialises in health, beauty - and the royals. After completing her MA in Magazine Journalism at the City, the University of London in 2017, she interned at Women’s Health, Stylist, and Harper’s Bazaar, creating features and news pieces on health, beauty, and fitness, wellbeing, and food. She loves to practice what she preaches in her everyday life with copious amounts of herbal tea, Pilates, and hyaluronic acid.