Lovecraft would be alternately repulsed by the supernatural credulity and amused by the purring cat.
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Oscar has supposedly predicted, accurately, many deaths at a hospital ... in .... Providence, Rhode Island !! Oh, my.Full Story posted in comments.
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Oscar, a hospice cat, strolls through the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, R.I. Employees said he tends to curl up next to patients in their final hours of life, something they've seen him do 25 times.
Oscar's home is a facility that treats people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and other illnesses. The feline was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a dementia unit.
The 2-year-old cat convinced one doctor of his talent after he made his 13th correct call. But one veterinarian says his behavior could be driven by the cat's desire to curl up next to a heated blanket that's placed on a dying person.
Cat Accurately Predicts Deaths of Patients
By RAY HENRY,
AP
Posted: 2007-07-25 18:06:31
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (July 25) - 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.
Oscar the cat recently received a wall plaque publicly commending his "compassionate hospice care" at the Rhode Island nursing home in which he resides.
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."
Science writer Alicia Chang in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
They are, of course, very naive. Oscar is actually BRINGING death to those patients. He is feeding off their psychic energy, draining their vitality dry.
:)
Ah, always thinking, Mark, my friend. I'm sure one of us will insert this into a story soon.
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