Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours. His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live."He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," said Dr. David Dosa in an interview.
The 2-year-old feline was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a third-floor dementia unit at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The facility treats people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and other illnesses.
After about six months, the staff noticed Oscar would make his own rounds, just like the doctors and nurses. He'd sniff and observe patients, then sit beside people who would wind up dying in a few hours.
Doctors say most of the people who get a visit from the sweet-faced, gray-and-white cat are so ill they probably don't know he's there, so patients aren't aware he's a harbinger of death.
Oscar recently received a wall plaque publicly commending his "compassionate hospice care."
3 comments:
This reminds me of the short film Rossman and I dreamt up about a cancer-sniffing dog and its reluctant owner. Of course, only months after creating the premise, an article appeared describing an actual dog that had shown promise in locating tumors. So it goes.
soon children won't die in unattended vehicles....interested?
maybe the cat likes poop. I hear when you die that you shit yourself, so maybe it sneaks out slowly. The cat smells the poop, likes the poop and lays by the poop.
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