Oscar The Cat Predicting Patients' Deaths

A cat named Oscar in Rhode Island seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die. He curls up next to them during their final hours. And after staff have seen his accuracy in 25 separate cases, now they call family members once he has chosen someone. Since 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," says Dr. David Dosa in an interview. He describes the phenomenon in a story in 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."

The 2-year-old feline was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a third-floor at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. 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.

Dr. Joan Teno, who also works at the nursing home, says Oscar is better at predicting death than the people who work there.

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 families are grateful for the advanced warning.

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

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