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Posted on 07/26/2007 5:07:38 AM PDT by PajamaTruthMafia
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Oscar the cat has an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, curling up with them during their final hours. His accuracy, seen in 25 cases, has led staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. They usually 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, who describes the phenomenon in the New England Journal of Medicine. “Many family members take some solace from it. They appreciate the companionship that the cat provides for their dying loved one,” said Dosa, an assistant professor at Brown University. The 2-year-old was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a third-floor dementia unit at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. After about six months, the staff noticed Oscar was making his own rounds, just like the doctors and nurses. He’d sniff and observe patients, then sit beside people who would die in a few hours. Dosa said Oscar seems to take his work seriously and is generally aloof. “This is not a cat that’s friendly to people,” he said. Oscar is better at predicting death than the people who work there, said Dr. Joan Teno of Brown University. She was convinced of Oscar’s talent when he made his 13th correct call. While observing one patient, Teno said she noticed the woman wasn’t eating, was breathing with difficulty and that her legs had a bluish tinge, signs that often mean death is near. 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. Most families are grateful for the advanced warning, but when Oscar is put outside, he paces and meows his displeasure.
Sounds like the cat needs a name change.
Freaky.
I wonder if all cats can do this?.......
I missed it the first time it was posted.
Everybody there gets a cat scan before they die...........I wonder if BCBS pays for it?......
Keep that cat away from me!
love the pictures...
They really should investigate the owner of this cat to make sure that their surname isn’t Kevorkian.
The animals are always the first to know......
No doubt ... he grew up in the dementia ward.
Thanks. Cats are very special, IMHO.
Like, perhaps, "Grimmy"?
“cat scan”
ROTF!
First cats suck the breath out of babies, now they are killing old people. (This may be too general of a statement)
(chuckle)
Yer gonna get clawed over that one.
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