Off the Topic

Oscar the soothsayer cat

By Adam Myers ⋅ July 26, 2007 ⋅ Tags: dementia, grim reaper, kitties, terminally ill

An adopted feline at the 3rd floor dementia unit at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is not the most friendly of kitties. In fact, Oscar is the furry equivalent of the grim-reaper. Making the rounds like a normal physician he singles out near death patients, plopping his fuzzy rump beside them.

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.

No one is certain as to how Oscar does it, but the families of the deceased are grateful for their last opportunity to say goodbye.

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