Oscar the Death Cat

HejiraNYC · #1 07-26-2007, 10:53 AM

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/25/dea....ap/index.html

When death comes calling, so does Oscar the cat
July 25, 2007

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 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."

Musicman408 · #2 07-26-2007, 12:21 PM

I read about this in my paper. Amazing little guy.

Sarah · #3 07-26-2007, 01:09 PM

weird.

ten characters.

BlackWidow · #4 07-26-2007, 03:13 PM

I think it's a good thing.

Mywyldhrt · #5 07-26-2007, 03:24 PM

You know-that's pretty cool. When I first read the title, I thought Oscar was going to be like my felix(now this is pretty weird-names like "The Odd Couple". He kills everything and brings it home.

Peestie · #6 07-26-2007, 03:27 PM

One of my friends has a cat called Oscar and he's often called him "Oscar the Death Cat". Is the name a reference to something else, or a play on a phrase that I don't know about or is this just a coincidence?

Sarah · #7 07-26-2007, 04:23 PM

No reference that I know of. I had a cat named Oscar, too.

But he was "Oscar Bologna, King of the 'Gyptian Kitties."

Peestie · #8 07-26-2007, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah

No reference that I know of. I had a cat named Oscar, too.

But he was "Oscar Bologna, King of the 'Gyptian Kitties."

Weird coincidence then. And that's an excellent name for a cat! If I were a pet person and had a cat it would totally have a name like that.

BlackWidow · #9 07-26-2007, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah

No reference that I know of. I had a cat named Oscar, too.

But he was "Oscar Bologna, King of the 'Gyptian Kitties."

...so was mine.

WelshWitchPMD · #10 07-26-2007, 09:49 PM

Well, obviously this has been the top story here in Rhode Island. A few of us at work were actually having some laughs at Oscar's expense today. One co-worker commented that because Oscar was so fat that he must be eating all the food from the patients so they would die of starvation and then smother them.
Another co-worker would say "be nice or I'll send Oscar after you". We had a comical day thanks to Oscar.

Steere House isn't that far from me either so I hope not to see that fat, grey cat at my doorstep anytime soon.

In all honesty, I do believe that animals especially cats have a 6th sense. When my Dad was a boy his family had a cat. That cat used to wait at the bus stop everyday for my Grandpa to come off of the bus after work and he would walk home with him. Kinda strange. I myself love cats but thanks to my asthma I can't have one.

irishgrl · #11 07-27-2007, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Oscar recently received a wall plaque publicly commending his "compassionate hospice care."

I've heard of dogs that can sense imminent seizures, so this doesnt surprise me.
Keep up the good work, Oscar!

kathy1 · #12 07-27-2007, 07:41 AM

i heard about that but i didn't see the article.

DrummerDeanna · #13 07-27-2007, 01:59 PM

^^

Yep - I know a couple of epileptic folks who have service dogs that can sense when a seizure is coming on. It's amazing.

Also there was some article and tv news story recently about dogs that can detect cancer!! My aunt swears her breast cancer was found first by a dog - and there are other stories and I believe they're studying that now...

Animals are amazing creatures...

estranged4life · #14 08-04-2007, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah

No reference that I know of. I had a cat named Oscar, too.

But he was "Oscar Bologna, King of the 'Gyptian Kitties."

I own a calico named "Patches, the Crack-Ho calico" (She acts like the crack-head character on the Dave Chappelle show when she doesnt get fed, she will bob her head and completely freak out til you feed her...Thus the name)