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Hmmmm it was only a matter of time before these vicious creatures went from smothering babies to killing old people.
That's the only conclusion I can draw. When is somebody going to bring this feline to justice?
When death comes calling, so does Oscar the cat
PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (AP) -- 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 the patient has less than four hours to live.
"He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," Dr. David Dosa said 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 advance 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 mings School of Veterinary Medicine and has read Dosa's article, said the only way to know is to carefully do ent 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 ho e care.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/25/dea....ap/index.html
Hmmmm it was only a matter of time before these vicious creatures went from smothering babies to killing old people.
The Grim Reaper is a cat?
Wouldn't surprise me.
id kick the out that cat if it curled up next to me
Dun dun dun?
Dun dun dun?
pwned
That is scary. I hate cats. I don't kick them or give them radiator fluid to drink, but they creep me out. I have thrown rocks at my neighbors cats because I've caught them sleeping on the hood and roof of my truck and car. I don't hit them though.
How can you hate something that looks this cute when it's sleeping?
Very interesting. I wonder if they'd ever be able to find a link - some sort of smell that cats or other animals could pick up. Or if it really is just paying attention to the care the nurses give that would (from the article) seem to change somewhat when signs of the end are near (like a warmed blanket). It's odd though that he chooses a point and they all die within a couple of hours of that time though, isn't it?
I want to adopt that cat and make it curl up next to friends just to freak them out
I hate cats.
i hope my ex gets a cat soon.
Dreaming of his next kill, no doubt.How can you hate something that looks this cute when it's sleeping?
Post some ing cats!
That was a good article. ty for posting.
I think it is neat the way the cat is known for his predictions. As someone whose dad passed away suddenly, I know how much it must mean to those patients' family to have a chance to say their goodbyes.
Pff.....THE EVIL PUPPY OWNS ALL!
He will drink your blood through your eyes!
He will arrange your bones in a pentagram!
CLICK IF YOU DARE!
Found his picture
We have a female cat who has cuddled up to 2 of our animals before they died.
One was our Golden Retriever, who the cat stayed as far away from as she could before those last few hours when she curled up with him.
The other was another one of our cats who she also ignored until 2 hours before he died.
It's really creepy, anytime she looks at my husband he runs out of her sight.
If I didn't witness it twice I wouldn't have believed it. But there's something to it. I guess she senses it.
Heres my new kitten I adopted 3 days ago
So far no deaths
i share this sentiment.
Before old farts die, they release their farts, leaving just the old to die. It's the scent of these farts that attracts the cats. No joke.
Heres my new kitten I adopted 3 days ago
So far no deaths
She's a beauty.
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