Feline's fatal streak: Oscar the cat predicts patients' time to die

Feline's fatal streak: Oscar the cat predicts patients' time to die

www.smh.com.au

"People actually were taking great comfort in this idea, that this animal was there and might be there when their loved ones eventually pass," Dr Dosa said. "He was there when they couldn't be."

After a year, the staff noticed that Oscar would spend his days pacing from room to room. He sniffed and looked at the patients but rarely spent much time with anyone - except when they had just hours to live.

He's accurate enough that the staff - including Dr Dosa - know it's time to call family members when Oscar stretches beside a patient, who is generally too ill to notice his prese

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I can only offer my personal perceptive to this story rather then any scientific opinion . My late grandfather who passed away a couple of years ago suffered from what the article terms severe dementia. Myself and other members of his family were there for his passing . For those who are not able to be there at the time of a loved ones death I can fully understand how people would be comforted by the fact that Oscar was not far away .

My grandfather had a small stuffed Moose on his pillow as a sort of companion . While I don't want Oscar to come sit next to me for a very long time when the time does come for me to go this cat lover would like one of my current pets or just a cat to be with me . I tend to think of myself has being more of a rational thinker then say a skeptic . Science is yet to explain Oscar sense of pending death or how cats and dogs know instinctively if you like them or not . When I was a kid I knew someone who was bitten a couple of dogs . IMO they knew that the person in question didn't like them .

Obviously this is the point of view of an animal and in particular cat lover .

www.smh.com.au
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I happen to like cats myself. I cannot say for sure but I have heard cats can sense things that most humans cannot.

I believe it is true. I think they can view the spiritual world much of the time and see things that we cannot. I believe that the cat can sense when it is the person’s time due to the spiritual activity forming around the person who is dying.

At least this is my opinion on the subject. I think it is rather nice that Oscar can be there in a person’s last hours/minutes. Having a warm body near you might be comforting at that time. I am not sure we can truly know how “awake” mentally a person is during this time.

Raist

My cat knows when I am going to have a seizure. He will sleep next to me for a few days before I have one of my monthly grand mal seizures.......most of the time, he sleeps right next to my husband, but not for the few days before one of my seizures. I TOTALLY believe animals can sense things we cannot.

Peace, ya'll

Having watched my cats for years, they do seem to be aware of things we can't see. Sometimes they turn and stare into space as though something is there, other times they seem to be sitting looking around the room as if following something which i can't see.

Maybe the cat senses the warm energy of spirits who are nearing the dying person. Who wouldn't like to bask in that warmth! Better than a heat lamp anyday.

Peace

step aside Oscar the Grouch. enter Oscar the Grim (reaper).

I have had many cats in my life, and I have always sensed that they seemed to "know" things; just the by the way they seem to look through you.

I'm convincied that many people are re-incarnated as cats. I mean if you had a choice of what to end up as, a Cat would be a pretty fantastic choice.

There was a house episode of a cat that could sense deaths. In the end it turned out (in the show) that the cat was feeling extra warmth and was just looking for the most comfortable place to nap.

From what I understand about Dr Dosa's study he ruled out simple factors such as being conveniently warm. I do like this story and it matches with many stories about animals being in touch with human spirits and when they depart the body.

This is a bloody weird story. S&F you , just want to see if anyone has a reason for this.

Oscar ftw.

I can verify this as a Hospice worker in private homes in the past, I remember two cases in particular where my patient owned a cat and they would not leave the room and stayed cuddled up to their owners, in both cases when I first started these cases the cats were no where to be seen but as it came close to death the cats as mentioned above cuddled up to their owners, family members made mention that this was very unusual with these particular cats. Also had a case where my patient owned a dog and it did the same thing. Cats and Dogs have been brought into nursing and assisted living facilities for years as it helps to calm patients and they love it.

Bear in mind there would need to be a "secondary gain" in cat-think.
This is not something that is being done from a source of kindness, or benevolence, or in an act to alert others of the patient's pending demise.

The cat is gaining something from this. It is the way of the animal.
A smell, perhaps....it likes. Something on the skin, it licks.

Or the grim reaper comes in and scratches it's belly and gives it a treat, so Kitty's in the place he's most likely to show up next.

But it would be to serve the cat, whatever it is. Not to serve the patient or those around him. Cat's aren't wired that way.