A Chinese cat that had become a national celebrity by way of his World Cup predictions has become the second 'psychic' animal to die since the tournament began last month. According to reports out of China, the stray feline dubbed 'Baidian’er' had been known to live near a gate at the palace complex known as the Forbidden City and was something of a unorthodox pet of workers at the site. At the start of this year's World Cut, the cat was enlisted to predict the winners and, at one point, managed to foresee the correct results six times in a row.
Baidian’er's remarkable run led to the clairvoyant creature garnering a huge following on Chinese social media where, apparently much like in America, cats are pretty popular. However, fans of the feline were soon dealt some difficult news as it was revealed that the psychic cat had fallen ill. And, just a handful of days later, Baidian’er' passed away which prompted thousands of his fans to send their condolences to the cat's social media account.
One can't help but notice that Baidian’er death follows the passing of Rabiot, an octopus in Japan that also became 'famous' for its World Cup predictions. Although the mollusk's demise was due to his owner deciding to sell the creature to a fish market rather that the natural causes that took the life of the Chinese feline, the trend is somewhat troubling as it conjures concerns that perhaps there is some kind of curse at work. With that in mind and considering the old adage that 'these things happen in threes,' we sincerely hope that someone is keeping a close eye on the Mystic Marcus the clairvoyant pig from England.