Nothing scares a cat like a random event that they can't percieve the origin of. And nothing is more difficult for a cato percieve than the origin of an earthquake. So the when the earth starts to move, even with the most minor quake as we had tonight, and you have 2 docile cats sleeping on you while you lie on the couch watching TV, you're in for more than your basic garden variety earthquake startle.

Magnitude-3.7 quake rattles San Francisco Bay area

Associated Press

BERKELEY, Calif. - A small earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay area Wednesday evening, but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage.

The quake, which struck at 7:12 p.m., had a preliminary magnitude of 3.7 and was centered about 2 miles east of Berkeley, just across the bay from San Francisco, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

No one reported any damage or injuries, according to a Berkeley police dispatcher.

The temblor occurred on the Hayward Fault, which geologists believe is due for a large quake in the potentially lethal 6.7 to 7.0 range.

"It's a pretty small earthquake, but just another reminder we're eventually going to have the biggie here in the Bay Area," said David P. Schwartz, who has studied the Hayward Fault extensively as chief of the U.S. Geological Survey's Bay Area Earthquake Hazards Project.

The Great Quake of 1868 struck on the Hayward Fault, a magnitude 6.9 rumbler that killed five people. Severe quakes have happened on the Hayward Fault every 151 years, give or take 23 years, meaning it is now into the danger zone.

The instant the house started to shake, both cats flew off me, and, as usual, didn't put too much thought into the havoc cuased by using me as a springboard with claws fully extended. To be honest, they don't put too much thought into anything much other than trying to escape the house or where their next meal is coming from. Fil zipped upstairs and took refuge under the bed. Mak leapt off the bed and looked around for something to flee from, but finding nothing, starred wide eyed at the TV, the largest, most obvious culprit.

It was all over in a few minutes. I coaxed Fil out from under the bed. Mak calmed down and before too long they were ensconsed back in their usual spot, my body.

This was nothing compared to what happened last Friday when Jen came over. Usually she peeks in through the windows in the door and taps lightly. The cats look up, acknowledge her presence, give her all clear, and she enters the house. But on Friday, Mak was patrolling the TV and didn't see or hear her. So when she opened the door, he wigged out and darted away like a spaz, which totally startled Fil, until then using me as a chaise lounge. She made a beeline for the kitchen counter, the furthest point from the front door, leaving a trail of foul smelling beaded liquid on the floor. Mak litterally scarred the piss out of her. Her fur was all puffed up, but soon relaxed when she realized it was only Jen and not whatever kitty boogeyman keeps cats twitching in the night.