PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island: After attending to a patient, the nurse's aide excused herself, carrying an armful of dirty linen on her way out. As she opened the door of Room 310, she noticed the fluffy, grey-and-white brindled cat waiting just outside. "Hello Oscar," she said. "Are you going inside?"
With that, the feline entered the room, ignoring greetings from the aide and the patient's daughter, and leapt onto the bed. Oscar started examining the patient- who is clearly in the terminal phase of her cancer - sniffing at her and the air around. And almost as suddenly as he arrived, he jumped off the bed and headed out the hall.
Oscar is just one of six other cats taken in by the residents and staff of the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island. He usually hangs out at his favorite spot - atop a desk in the doctor's charting area, where he spends most of his day napping. But whenever he 'makes his rounds' of the facility's dementia unit, the doctors, nurses and aides watch his every move.
Today, he went into Room 313, and unlike the room he had visited earlier, he settled in right next to the woman sleeping peacefully on her bed, comforting her with his steady purring as he curled up beside her.
Outside, the ward bursts into an urgent flurry of activity: the patient's medical records are reviewed, relatives are called up, chairs are brought into the room, and even sending for a priest.
One hour later, the sleeping woman takes her last mortal breath, amidst a gathering of grieving relatives. Oscar gets up and quietly takes his leave, allowing the family a moment to deal with the loss of their loved one.
Has the angel of death taken the physical form of a two-year old cat? It would seem so. Thus far, Oscar has accurately predicted the deaths of 25 patients. According to Dr. David Dosa, a geriatrician based at Rhode Island Hospital, his mere presence at the bedside is viewed by physicians and nursing home staff as an almost absolute indicator of impending death.
"This cat really seems to know when patients are about to die," Dr. Dosa told The Daily Mail. "We started to see something was happening about 18 months ago and at first I think we were all very sceptical. But it's not an unusual occurrence for patients to die here, so we've had plenty of opportunities to witness and observe the phenomenon."
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“This cat really seems to know when patients are about to die... at first I think we were all very sceptical. But it's not an unusual occurrence for patients to die here, so we've had plenty of opportunities to witness and observe the phenomenon.”
Dr David Dosa
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Dr. Dosa has even gone so far as writing about Oscar and his uncanny ability to predict death - even getting the story published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Eevryone has heard stories of animals being particularly sensitive to things we don't normally pick up. "For example, you can train a dog to predict an epilepsy fit in a patient before they even sense it themselves, or even detect cancer," explains Daniel Mills, a specialist in Veterinary Behavioral Medicine at Lincoln University. "So it seems reasonable to suppose you might be able to train a cat to detect that a person was terminally ill, particularly as they have such a good sense of smell."
So maybe Oscar can actually sniff out subtle changes in hormones? Something not quite fully understood by us, but definitely something almost second nature to his feline nose. Or maybe he's psychic? Laurie Cabot, the 'official witch' of Salem, Massachusetts, brings forward an interesting theory: that Oscar knows patients are going to die because he picks it up from their brainwaves.
"Science has found that the brainwaves of cats never go into Beta mode, they are always in Alpha. And it is in the Alpha range that all psychic things happen," Cabot told The Daily Mail.
Rather than an ominous harbinger of doom, people prefer to see Oscar as something more cuddly and caring. In recognition of his uncanny ability, a local agency has seen it fit to award this prognosticating puss with an engraved plaque for his "compassionate hospice care".
"He comforts the dying patients", according to Dr. Joan Teno of Brown University. "And what's striking is that, in a centre that offers a real gold-standard in end-of-life treatment, Oscar seems to be mimicking the behaviour of those who work there. He makes the room feel like more of a homely setting, and has become part of the soothing ritual."
this story is so creepy. i dont know if i would be comfortable with a cat that can somehow predict deaths. its either she can smell something, feel the brainwaves or probably even see the angel of death. whatever it is, its a scary thought.
nostra-cat-mus? is that you? lol!
whoa! now thats some serious brainwave power right there.. can dogs do that? i dont think so. because cats rule. wuhu!
Yikes. the grim rea-purr has taken it's form in a pussycat! creepy, really creepy.
is this for real? would it be possible that a lost spirit may have actually possessed Oscar? or maybe she can really sense an impending death? this is really creepy but at the same time, it gives the family time to say goodbye to their loved one.
That is a marvelous story. It's nice that the family can be notified ahead of time to be with their loved ones. Cats and Dogs have some amazing powers.
I don't think I am too comfortable with the cat predicting death. I mean, no one can tell the future right? What if this is the work of some other being who has taken the form of a pussycat? *shudder*
i saw this bit of news on cnn. i really dont know if i will believe this or not. although this creeps me out, i think Oscar is an amazing cat.
i've heard about dogs being able to sniff out cancer. but a cat that's able to sniff out the dying? amazing.
I think is one of the coolest stories I've read about caes. The cat is not creepy, it only wants to comfort the dying person. It isn't sucking the breath out of them. It is offering a warm, purring companion in the last hours of life. I would welcome this.
And what would YOU do if you find oscar scratching at your door? :)
I don't think it is scary at all. pretty amazing actually. it's nice to know that animals have a purpose in their little lifetime and for Oscar, it is to provide comfort and warmth when the person takes his or her last breath of life. Cats are known to be stress busters and can lower blood pressure. When the sick person is at ease on his last moments, he dies a happy peaceful death - all because of Oscar.
in a way, oscar is doing a very good service especially for the families that these dying people. it gives the families time to properly say goodbye to their loved ones. keep up the good work oscar!
amazing??? its freaky!
however creepy it may sound, i feel that Oscar is actually doing all the patients and their families a very good service. i would rather have a cat that can tell me if someone is about to die rather than just waking up the next day and finding out that they are already gone.
i really think oscar is doing a good job. i think i see it as this: he can 'sense' who dies, and then stays with you to comfort you until you draw your last breath. and i really think it's sweet. when i die, i think it would be awesome if my cats all hung out with me on my death bed.
pets are like psychics they can sense the future, animals can sense too if a calamity is coming they get uneasy
freaky as it may seem, i guess that Oscar is a good "gift" to families with dying relatives. i would love to know when a loved one will pass away rather than receive a phone call saying that a relative is gone. with oscar, at least families don't go through the shocked phase of knowing about someone's death.
Just a thought.. you think oscar can predict his own death?
So are there any new findings on how this cat can really predict people's deaths? I mean, it was all over the news then suddenly it's gone!
this story is really quite creepy. i wouldn't know how to react to this story. i really don't know if i would want to be around that cat.
We have 6 dogs and 5 cats. We did not choose to have so many pets all at one time, it kind of happened. My husband and I own and operate a 12-unit Pet Friendly motel. Most of our guests are humans vacationing with their best friends. We love our pets and know how hard it is to find a place to travel with multiple pets. We allow multiple dogs (no size limits), they must be well behaved and humans well mannered.
In response to Oscar the nursing home cat; well I find it amazing to have a friend right next to you during your last moments. I can not think of a safer feeling then to have my dog or cat snuggle up to me when I do not feel so good. Our dogs feel our stress when we are sick, sad, nervous, arguing and happy too. Even our cats sense our emotion and show us so much affection. Eleven animals (dogs & cats) living togehter with humans in harmony most of the time. Like young children, pets need to be monitored constantly and taught right from wrong.
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