Oscar the Cat is an unusual cat who was recently written about in the New England Journal of Medicine. Oscar lives at a nursing home and can predict when patients at the nursing home are about to die. According to an Associated Press news story Oscar frequently climbs in bed with patients who are just hours away from death.
"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.
Oscar also likes to make the rounds at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and check on patients. The article says he was adopted by the Center when he was just two years old.
The BBC also ran a story about Oscar. They cite an expert who says it isn't unusual for cats to sense when people are ill.
Thomas Graves, a feline expert from the University of Illinois, told the BBC: "Cats often can sense when their owners are sick or when another animal is sick.
"They can sense when the weather will change, they're famous for being sensitive to premonitions of earthquakes."
It is clear from this story that Oscar has the ability to sense when patients are about to die. What's extra unusual about Oscar is that he makes rounds like a doctor and he feels the need to be with the patients when they are near death's door. The news stories have sparked much interest and discussion about Oscar. He is a hit in the blogosphere with thousands of posts about him including Wired Science, WSJ Health, Itchmo and Animal Hubbub.
Oscar the Cat is an unusual cat who was recently written about in the New England Journal of Medicine. Oscar lives at a nursing home and can predict when patients at the nursing home are about to die. According to an Associated Press 