Animals and the Sixth Sense

Throughout history animals have displayed a number of unique, seemingly-psychic abilities. Although there is no hardcore evidence of a true sixth sense animals are able to perceive many things that humans simply cannot. Cats and dogs, even simple creatures like ants and spiny lobsters exhibit tendencies that appear to be almost clairvoyant in nature.

CAT TALES

Oscar, the death cat from Rhode Island is one such creature. The two-year old cat is a gray and white male that was raised in the dementia unit of a nursing home in Providence. Adopted as a kitten, the cat is now grown and somehow able to sense when a patient is in their final hours. This uncanny ability has put the home staff in a unique position. When the cat takes up residence in a patient's room it gives the staff the opportunity to contact loved ones before the individual's demise.

Oscar's gift is honored with a plaque on the wall of the facility for Excellent End of Life Care. Although it is unknown as to exactly how Oscar senses a patient's pending demise speculation includes that he picks up on a certain smell. It has also been considered that maybe he has simply observed the routines of the staff and can sense from their behavior when a patient is nearing the end of life.

Since national media outlets televised Oscar's abilities, other cats with similar skills surfaced around the country. Pleasant Gove, Utah has Max and Seattle, Washington is home to Buckwheat a ten-year old tabby that is touted as "better than morphine," in his ability to provide comfort to the dying. Yet another facility, in Denver, Colorado, is home to a cat with this inexplicable gift.

In addition to being able to predict death, cats are also known to sense earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In 1944, a cat named Toto's insistent behavior prompted many to evacuate before Mount Vesuvius blew its top. In Haicheng, China the strange behavior of the cats in the city prompted officials to evacuate before a major earthquake. The evacuation saved 150,000 people from possible injury and death. In northeastern Italy in 1976, cats scratched frantically at the doors of their homes wanting to be let out. When their owners complied, the cats quickly found places to hide from the destructive quake that would occur a few hours later.

Cats are also known to find their owners across great distances, even traveling to homes they have never been to before. A cat named Sugar was left behind in Anderson, California when her family moved to Gage, Oklahoma. The cat arrived at the family's new home a little over a year later. Sugar traveled 1400 miles to locate her beloved humans. In 1949, when Tom's owners sold their house in St. Petersburg, Florida they chose to leave the cat with the owner of the new home, fearing the long move would be traumatic for the feline. Two weeks after they moved they were saddened to hear that Tom had run away from home. The amazing animal showed up at his owner's home in San Gabriel, California a little over two years later. Tom had made a 2500 mile trip to a place he had never been to before in order to find them. This feisty feline holds the record for traveling the longest distance in search of its family.

DOG TALES

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Dogs have their own unusual skills in regard to sensing what humans cannot. They possess a sense of smell that is purportedly 100 times what we can detect. Dogs have been known to howl before a loved one's death. Dogs can detect the tiniest changes in their environment. Our female mixed breed is able to tell when we are about to trip a breaker, possibly by detecting static changes in the air. She runs and hides between my legs minutes before a breaker trips no matter where she may be in the house at the time.

Doctors may have found an ally in dogs when it comes to cancer detection. Tales of dogs detecting cancer in their owners are common. One woman in Yonkers sought medical attention after her dog obsessively sniffed a mole on her arm. After doing some tests, doctors diagnosed her with malignant melanoma. Another woman in England had a similar experience. Hr dog constantly smelled a mole on her leg. She was also diagnosed and treated for the deadly for of skin cancer. Research has shown that dogs can determine the presence of lung or breast cancer in patients by smelling their breath. According to results, they are correct 88 to 97% of the time. There are also indications that they may be able to detect prostate and bladder cancer by smelling a patient's urine.

Other dogs are known to predict epileptic seizures in their owners. A dog named Ribbon can predict her owner's seizures with 100% accuracy. Another dog named Sheba can pick up on pending seizures even when her owner is asleep. Some dogs have even given signs of a heart attack or a diabetic coma before they occur. It is theorized that dogs smell chemicals associated with these medical emergencies or that they possibly observe a drop in body temperature.

There are many documented cases of dogs traveling across great distances to find their owners. One dog, a cocker named Joker, boarded a military transport in World War II and sailed the high seas in search of his master. The dog raised his head and sniffed the air at every port along the way. When he came to the port his owner was stationed at the dog jumped ship and the two of them were reunited.

OTHER TALES

The tsunami that devastated parts of Asia spawned numerous tales of unusual animal behavior. Although over 150,000 people died in the disaster, very few animal carcasses were found in the debris. Animal behavior escalated as much as ten-days prior to the surge. One witness reported seeing ants leave the beach en masse, headed for higher ground. Elephants, black bucks and feral horses also made a hasty retreat from low-lying areas before the disaster. Agitated bats and birds took to the skies and fled the endangered area to find safety minutes before the waves crashed into the beach. Even animals at the zoo went into their shelters and refused to come out. Dogs all over the affected area would not go outside the morning of the catastrophe. Monkeys refused to eat bananas offered to them by their caregivers, highly unusual behavior for the primates.

Mass beachings of whales and dolphins also seem to be indicative of a pending seismic disturbance. Several weeks before the December tsunami, on the 29th of November 150 whales and dolphins beached themselves in Tasmania. In 1979, a mass beaching may have foretold of three quakes in Big Bear, California. Sperm whales beached themselves on the east coast for the better part of two days. The phenomenon is thought to be a possible result of jammed sonar caused by electromagnetic changes due to shifting tectonic plates.

Although there is no hardcore evidence of a sixth sense among animals, it is believed that they are more attuned to what goes on around them. Speculation says that even humans may have once had the same abilities but that we unconsciously phased them out when we no longer needed them. Animal behavior can be a strong indicator of pending danger. Acknowledging their unique abilities, no matter the source, is a wise choice indeed. I'm sure the surviving citizens of Haicheng, China would agree.