They definitely can sense when their owners are stressed out, as a dog can. I'm not sure how sensitive a cat's hearing is, but I've been told that most dogs can hear a human's heart beat. They can also sense changes in smells, which is the reason a lot of dogs don't like African Americans, Arabs, and some Orientals... A difference in diet and traditional foods, and I suppose just normal body odors, makes a lot of dogs a bit aggressive.
When I was in my early 20s, I worked at K-9 Command Dogs in Houston, doing obedience and protection training. We had an African American guy named Mike come in every day to clean cages and help out in the kennel. His biggest nemisis was a Chow we were boarding. One day Mike was putting the dog back in his run. He turned to walk out of the cage door, and the Chow reached up and kindly removed the back pocket of his jeans. I just heard a small roar, went in to investigate, and found Mike, standing there hollering and swearing at the dog, "Hey, you stupid b*tch! Those were new jeans. @#$%^*!"
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