Question:
I would like to tell you a true story about a cat I had.
In December 1999, my father was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Dad was in the hospital for mainly palliative care, and Mom and I visited him every day.
My father really loved cats, and he especially liked my quirky cat, Rainbow. Unfortunately, she would have nothing to do with anyone but me. Rainbow avoided ever going into my parents' bedroom.
About three weeks into my father's hospitalization, Rainbow did something she had never done before. As I walked past my parents' bedroom, I could not believe what I was seeing -- Rainbow had not only gone into the bedroom, but she was asleep on the bed. And it was my dad's twin bed, not my mom's.
Suddenly I had a startling thought, and I called to my mother: "Mom, I think Dad is going to pass away tonight."
That night, just after midnight, my father died. My mom was there, and she said it was very peaceful. I will always wonder how my cat seemed to know and was able to communicate that to me.
Rainbow died from cancer (like my dad) exactly one year later, on the first anniversary of my dad's death.
E.S., Sandy Hook, CT Oct 23, 2011
Answer:
Thank you for the account of Rainbow's apparent connection with your dying father. It seems highly probable that this was Rainbow's response to "knowing" (by some remote sensing ability) that your father was close to death.
I appreciate receiving letters from readers on this subject because they support my theory of the "empathosphere" -- a dimension of awareness that transcends space and that I have documented in my new book, "Animals & Nature First." I believe that physical, emotional and spiritual well-being are connected in this empathosphere, which in part explains how our attitudes toward animals can affect their behavior and health.
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