Cancer Cat

Canadian Lionel Adams is thanking his eight-year-old tabby cat Tiger for saving his life. He says Tiger was never a cuddly cat, but one day she started pawing at his left side. After a routine x-ray during a doctor’s visit, a tumor was found in Adams’ left lung. Look, I’d love it if cats had magical powers of medical detection. I’d much rather cover myself in adorable kittens than stand in a drafty hospital gown in front of a radiation machine. But there are a couple of problems with this story. For one thing, Adams didn’t go to the doctor because Tiger was pawing at him. As a reasonably sane person, a little kitty kneading didn’t immediately make him think “medical emergency!”. So, if we’re being specific here, Tiger didn’t really save his life. And for another thing, cats are always pawing people who don’t have cancer at all. And before you call up your lawyer, let me speculate that this is just normal cat behavior and not basis for a malpractice suit. More details here.