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Close Topic OptionsOscar The Cat Predicts Patients' Deaths
Oscar Cat Predicts Patients' Deaths - Sciences, Education, Art, Writing, UFO - Posted: 28th Jul, 2007 - 12:43am
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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.
Oscar The Cat Predicts Patients' Deaths
This is so unusual. I do not think this cat is just simply a normal cat. I heard many similar stories of animals able to sense death or see spirits. I think is wonderful that Oscar would provide love to these sick and dying patients.
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| "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... |
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Deaths Patients Predicts Cat Oscar
This is a heart warming story but not very unusual though. Most animals have an uncanny way of predicting a person's death. I have heard a lot of stories concerning dogs howling a few seconds or at least an hour before a person dies. Some stories indicate cats becoming restless or following their beloved owner everywhere, before he dies. But a cat living in a hospital and entering the room to provide comfort for the ailing individual? It appears that he is a furry messenger of death.
Tonight on NBC news, when this story was shown last night, there was an overwhelming response to it via emails. One person, a dog lover, claimed to be a lover of dogs but this story about Oscar moved him so much that he wanted to get a cat afterwards. One individual rebuked the news presenter for spoiling the story by saying at the end of the report, "well time to go home to my dog." The last email that was mentioned in the NBC news tonight was the most hilarious one of them all! The concerned citizen said,
"Did it ever occur to anyone that this cat could be killing all these patients?"
I cannot believe anyone could think of such a ridiculous idea from a beautiful story!
TOPIC: Oscar The Cat Predicts Patients' Deaths