[Michele]

Oscar the cat predicts patients' deaths
By RAY HENRY, Associated Press Writer Wed Jul 25, 7:25 PM ET


PROVIDENCE, R.I. - 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. He describes the phenomenon in a poignant essay in Thursday's issue of 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, a geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine at Brown University.
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.
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, who treats patients at the nursing home and is an expert on care for the terminally ill
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.
Oscar wouldn't stay inside the room though, so Teno thought his streak was broken. Instead, it turned out the doctor's prediction was roughly 10 hours too early. Sure enough, during the patient's final two hours, nurses told Teno that Oscar joined the woman at her bedside.
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. Most families are grateful for the advanced warning, although one wanted Oscar out of the room while a family member died. When Oscar is put outside, he paces and meows his displeasure.
No one's certain if Oscar's behavior is scientifically significant or points to a cause. Teno wonders if the cat notices telltale scents or reads something into the behavior of the nurses who raised him.
Nicholas Dodman, who directs an animal behavioral clinic at the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and has read Dosa's article, said the only way to know is to carefully document how Oscar divides his time between the living and dying.
If Oscar really is a furry grim reaper, it's also possible his behavior could be driven by self-centered pleasures like a heated blanket placed on a dying person, Dodman said.
Nursing home staffers aren't concerned with explaining Oscar, so long as he gives families a better chance at saying goodbye to the dying.
Oscar recently received a wall plaque publicly commending his "compassionate hospice care."
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2...nt_5444278.htm

[Chiapit]

I read this today...kinda weird kitty. If I lived in that place I would definately keep that cat out of my room...his presence would make me too paranoid.

[Purple]

Cats are evil.

[debo-dumbo-ears]

That story is amazing. The cat is not "killing" people, c'mon. It's predicting death, & if nothing else, comforting the people in their last hours. I've heard lots & lots of stories of dogs & cats predicting various human ailments: heart attacks, dangerous blood sugar in diabetics, siezure in epileptics, etc. We can't even begin to understand the senses of animals, known & otherwise. I for one love cats AND dogs. Cats are not evil. Just like pit bulls are not evil.

[Michele]

cats are evil......just thinking about cats makes my eyes water and I start sneezing...and my nose runs...

[Chiapit]

I'm not sure if they are actually evil...they just freak me out in their sneaky, plotting, spastic ways....

[debo-dumbo-ears]

Cats are definately not dogs. They're two very different animals. I happen to love both species, each for their unique traits.

[Michele]

Debo: My friend has this cat. The cat comes up to you making nicey nice. Then, all of a sudden, he attacks.. now, what is that all about?..he bites and bites hard too

[debo-dumbo-ears]

the cat probably wasn't taught boundaries for appropriate play when it was young. Just like a dog that jumps on people or plays innapropriately; probably wasn't taught to play nice when young.
Debo says, "I love my kitty, see, I even let her have the comfy spot."
One of my cats (the one in the pic) has grown up w/ Debo & she plays w/ him all the time. Sometimes when I'm throwing the ball for him in the yard, she'll pounce on his butt - but only when he's on his way back w/ the ball, not when he's running to get it. Guess she knows she doesn't want to get in the way of the ball! And she only pounces at his butt, never his face. Smart cat.