CNN: When death comes calling, so does Oscar the cat - CNN.com

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http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/07/25/death.cat.ap/index.html

 

When death comes calling, so does Oscar the cat

* Story Highlights

* Cat has uncanny record of curling up with dying

nursing home patients

* Staff members say families usually find cat's

presence comforting

* Cat better at predicting imminent death than staff,

observer says

* New England Journal of Medicine essay describes phenomenon

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. "

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This

material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

 

 

 

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