A Feline Harbinger of Death
In the story of Oscar the cat lies a temporary light-hearted break with the serious nature of our blog:
Residents at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island, have their very own grim reaper...in the form of a feline. Oscar the cat displays an uncanny accuracy in predicting death of the residents on the third floor dementia unit of the nursing home. He has been accurate in 25 cases, beating even a doctor in his predictions of death. Dr. Joan Teno of Brown University, an expert in terminal illness care, had predicted the death one patient. which turned out to be ten hours too early. Oscar wouldn't stay in the room until some hours later, when the patient had two hours left to live.
Most of the families appreciate Oscar's accuracy in allowing them to say a final farewell to their loved ones. Although the cat recently received a wall plaque commending his "compassionate hospice care", animal experts say that his behavior could be driven by a desire for personal comforts, such as heated blankets placed on dying patients. Or, it could be due to a keen sense of smell or attentiveness to unconscious changes in behavior in those surrounding him upon impending death. Regardless, Oscar the cat's behavior is another example of the powers of animals that we have not yet fully comprehended, but find so phenomenal.
For more: visit edition.cnn.com/2007/US/07/25/death.cat.ap/index.html#cnnSTCText