A Cute Little Grim Reaper

By RAY HENRY, Associated Press Writer Wed Jul 25, 7:25 PM ET
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - 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.
"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.
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."

This story warms the heart on so many levels and I truly want to believe that it is true. I also have the inclination to believe that the reason this cat is even here is to help usher those that pass to the next plane of existence. But owning a cat, a very self preserving animal, I am inclined to believe that it is more like the suggestion that he likes the warm blanket placed on dying patients. No matter which way I still find the article warming and I am happy these patients have a companion to lay with them in their times of need.

Animals have long been thought to harbor abilities we humans do not. We are supposedly the smartest of all mammals but the more I look around I think that we have highly underestimated our furry companions on this place we call Earth. What is not intelligent about the lazy house cat who has food when he wants, sleeps where he wants, and cuddles when he wants? He does not have the slightest concern in the world...that to me is far superior to our daily concerns. I would prefer being a lazy house cat any day!! There have been animals of all types, ages, and sizes that have predicted some incredible things. I was once reading an article on this subject in a medical journal my best friend had in her home. It was an interesting article pointing to literally hundreds of cases similar to this one. The most moving of the stories was about a golden retriever that could smell cancer, even if the patient did not know it themselves. It was amazing how much his people came to depend on him. He was brilliant in his meticulous diagnosis, almost like he could understand that people may not believe him. Animals have senses that we humans can only dream about...it is fascinating to understand. Dolphins can be used as a sort of cancer treatment for children. Dogs will be given to elderly patients to not only give them companionship but a reason to get up in the morning. A dog can be used to give sight to the blind. Animals are used throughout medical treatments for many reasons, the least one being their innate ability to give warnings to their humans.

There has always been legends of animals predicting death. The most famous of which is that legend of the Grim. The grim is a black dog that predicts death. It has been a legend in many European countries for ages now. It usually is known to prowl around cemeteries and there is even a church here in the US that believes they have a grim in their church cemetery. They claim to see the grim prior to the death of one of their church members. It has been described as highly nerve racking and terrifying...I would think so. In the Harry Potter series, although yes I know it is not true, the grim is the bearer of bad news. If you see a grim it is said that you have less than 24 hours to live. Now what I want to question with all of these stories is: Is the animal actually predicting the death or is the mind causing death because of the animal? There is a lot to be said about mind over matter...and in this instance it may be just that. If you know, for instance, the grim is a predicter of death and you see one could it possibly scare you to death literally. Are the incidences where dolphins are used as a sort of natural chemotherapy actually doing so or is the patient so convinced they will be healed they actually will their body to do just that. The humans brain is the one organ we know the least about, is it not then safe to assume their may be powers there we have yet to tap into. Maybe we do not need all the medications we are given for any number of diseases but a strong enough will and brain power to cure our ailments. Is it not possible to talk yourself out of a headache? I have done that on more than one occasion...I know it works. So why then can't we will ourselves out of larger diseases? It is a fascinating realm to get in to...the human brain.

Savant is a condition in which the being is so intelligent they are deemed mentally retarded. Think of the movie Rain Man here. Most savants have an injury or impairment in their left side of the brain and most of them can be diagnosed in childhood (although a severe accident can also cause it). Many doctors now believe that Mozart was a savant. Savants are brilliant in one area of study, typically one of the arts. It is fascinating. A person who is unable to tie their own shoes, dress themselves, and in some cases unable to feed themselves can compose some of the most beautiful masterpieces that our soul has ever been touched by. It is one of those subjects that I am enamoured with and I am not quite sure why. I think that it points to a much deeper subject than what is right on the surface. What is it about the left side of the brain that when damaged causes this effect? What is there that we, the general population, are missing? Are our brains so dimensional that we may never know the workings of our own bodies, the capabilities that we may never reach? What is that sets the brain functions to what they are? Are our brains so focused on daily activities that we are unable to embrace the world as savants are able to? Take away the constraints of rational thought processes and what genius may lie underneath? I post these questions not in fact to receive an answer but as more of a statement of thought. The human brain is so amazing and yet there is very little known about it. Which brings us back to the animals...do their brains (not constrained to the "human" thought process) have more capabilities than our own? If we would move past the daily life and go back to our basic animal roots would we too have these capabilities? I pose this one and final challenge upon my readers today: focus more on the joys of being human, challenge your brain to function in new and ever changing ways, and never let anyone tell you it is impossible. Dare to dream and dream big. Challenge your brain to complete an enormous task, at least just once. Do you want to write the next great American novel...do it!! Don't hesitate to compose that piece of music you never dreamed of completing. The challenges of daily life can constrain you to accept those things you think are impossible to accomplish...I challenge you today to step outside your little comfort zone and do something AMAZING!! I look forward to sharing a history book with each of you!

Happy reading and never forget to nurture the seedling of creativity inside your soul!