Woman Credits Cat with Detecting Breast Cancer

Many cats develop a close bond with their owners. Sometimes, the bond is so strong that they can pick up when something is not right and try to communicate this with their human. As animals cannot talk, they use other means to let their humans know that something is not right. When an animal is trying to let its owner know something, it may use body language or physical actions in its attempts to communicate. One woman from Minnesota even credits her cat with detecting breast cancer and says that her cat tried to let her know she was unwell.

Oggy’s Strange Behavior

Kate King-Scribbins is a health care fraud investigator who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her husband, Andy, her rescue cat Oggy, another cat, and two dogs. When Scribbins was relaxing at home, Oggy loved to snuggle up in her arms, says New York Post. Cuddling up together was something that Scribbins and Oggy enjoyed every day. Then, the way Oggy tried to snuggle up with Scribbins changed. Instead of peacefully cuddling up to her as he usually did, the cat began to aggressively force himself into a position where his head would lie on Scribbins’ left breast. Even when his owner tried to move him to a different position, Oggy was determined that he would lie on her chest. It was not the usual position that they sat in, but Oggy was persistent that he wanted to lie this way.

Discovery and Diagnosis

Months after Oggy’s behavior changed, Scribbins woke in the night when she experiences a shooting pain through her body. As the focal point of the pain was in her left breast, Scribbins performed a self-examination. Unfortunately, during the examination, Scribbins was horrified to find a lump in her left breast. On finding the lump, Scribbins booked herself an appointment with the doctor. After seeing her doctor and undergoing further tests, Scribbins was then diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. She then began one of the most difficult periods of her life as she began her fight against cancer.

The treatment that followed included multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation. During this time, Scribbins experienced terrible pain, and there was the constant fear of not knowing the outcome. Although she was fighting cancer and her medical team was doing everything they could for her, Scribbins did not know if it would be enough to overcome the illness. It was only after receiving her diagnosis that Scrubbins realized that Oggy had potentially been trying to tell her that something was not right. She looked back at the changes in her cat’s behavior and realized that Oggy had made sure he always put his head exactly where she had found her lump. It was the cat’s way of trying to let her know that something was not right in that part of her body. Once she realized what her cat had been trying to tell her, she felt grateful and relieved that she had adopted the cat from a rescue shelter 15 years earlier. It showed just how much her cat cared for her.

The Skeptics

While many people have thought the story of Oggy trying to tell Scribbins about the cancer is fascinating and heartwarming, there are also skeptics. Non-pet owners have also found the story hard to believe. Scribbins accepts that not everyone will believe that her cat knew she had cancer, and she says she can understand why people are skeptical. However, she does not mind looking like a crazy cat woman if it alerts someone else who unknowingly has cancer that their pet is potentially trying to tell them something.

Further Health Problems

Sadly, Scribbins’ breast cancer diagnosis and the treatment that followed were not the end of her health problems. She was then diagnosed with CDH1, which is a rare genetic mutation that causes gastric cancer and lobular breast cancer. After receiving this diagnosis in 2019, the medical team was forced to perform surgery to remove her entire stomach. Although the surgery was drastic, it means that there is no evidence of her currently suffering from cancer. However, Scribbins is aware that it is likely that cancer will always be part of her life.

The Current Situation

Scribbins has said that she does not consider herself to be on the other side of cancer. Like many cancer patients, she understands that she will probably spend the rest of her life having checkups, and it is likely that she will also need ongoing treatment. She has also said that since she has undergone her surgeries and treatment, Oggy no longer focuses on her chest. His behavior has reverted back to how he used to behave, happily snuggling up on Scribbins’ lap. Scribbins says that she wishes she had understood what Oggy was trying to tell her sooner and that she wishes he could talk so that he could have told her what was wrong earlier. It would mean that she could have begun her cancer treatment sooner.

However, she is thankful that Oggy did try to warn her about her ill health, even if she was unable to decipher the cryptic messages that her cat was trying to give her. Scribbins is also grateful that she is a survivor. Although cancer is something that will now always be a part of Scribbins’ life, she has accepted the situation. She believes that what she has been through has made her who she is today, and it has made her strong enough to cope with whatever the future brings. The cancer survivor has thanked her friends and family for all the practical and emotional support they have given her throughout the most difficult times of her life. She also believes that she needs to thank the animals in her life, especially Oggy, for being by her side during this time.