You saw the Death Note, now meet Death Cat
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Oscar the Cat Predicts Patients' Deaths
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."
Chicago Tribune
Oh my.....life is full of strange happenings... -
someone already posted in the morning.
furry grimreaper -
the cat looks normal..
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what a sweet kitty.
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i know that some ppl reading this can get dirty thots..
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Found some more stuff.
http://mentalhealthrn.blogster.com/day_life____.html
It's a very interesting read.
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what dirty thots can we have when it comes to a cat who can read about deaths. ??Originally posted by cApitaland:i know that some ppl reading this can get dirty thots.. -
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At least no one in that nursing home would go on their final journey alone
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Originally posted by CoolMyth:
DEATH CAT WILL CLAIM YOUR SOUL!!!
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The cat is so handsome.........so cuteeee..... i dun mind letting it claim my rotten soul...
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pristine white fur.
very nice cat.
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chin cai lah, elin jie jie.Originally posted by elindra:
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Hmm...could it be that there was always 'someone' else in the room whenever death occurred....and that's what attracted the kitten
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Originally posted by CoolMyth:chin cai lah, elin jie jie.
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absolutely!Originally posted by Xiao Jun:Hmm...could it be that there was always 'someone' else in the room whenever death occurred....and that's what attracted the kitten
The soul reaper. Death. Shinigami (death god) -
uh oh... that cat looks like a cat i've seen around where i live!
am i gonna die? -
look very cute....
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so chubby~
wana koochi koochi Oscar the angel cat. (^_^) -
nothing unusal.
There was also a dog, who could sniff out cancer forming in people before symptoms appear. -
does she have death note?