Folk wisdom has it that cats groom themselves before a storm, cows lie down before it rains and swallows chirp and fly high during the evening before a fair-weather day.
According to University of Missouri-Columbia veterinarian Bonnard Moseley, there is truth to the old maxims--except that ``cows just lie down when they feel like it.``
As for cats, static electricity in the air before a summer storm separates their coat hairs and makes them feel dirty, so they groom themselves.
It is said houseflies bite before a storm, but this kind of fly doesn`t bite at all. People might have confused them with stable flies, which do bite, and tend to move inside before bad weather, Moseley said.
Swallows and other birds have sensitive ears that are affected by slight atmospheric pressure changes, he said. Birds fly low before a storm to compensate for the pressure drop.