Nursing home cat predicts deaths of patients

Animals have some truly remarkable abilities. Recent discoveries that dogs are able to accurately detect many forms of cancer and illness in people are amazing scientists and doctors alike. So what happens when we take this a step further? … A cat that can predict death in people may sound like science fiction, but it isn’t.

Oscar was adopted as a kitten from an animal shelter by staff from the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre in the US. Growing up in the third floor dementia unit where patients are treated for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and other illnesses; Oscar has accurately predicted the deaths of 25 patients. At around six months of age, Oscar began making his own rounds of the hospital, just like the doctors and nurses do. He'd sniff and observe patients, and those he curled up next to and stayed with would wind up dying a few hours later. Oscar is so accurate that staff members notify the family of patients if Oscar indicates they might not have long.

Nobody knows exactly how he does it, however there are several theories. One is that Oscar can smell subtle chemical changes in the bodies of dying patients. Another theory is that Oscar reads the body language of the nurses attending to terminal patients and has learned when patients are close to death. However, at the end of the day nursing home staff are not concerned with explaining Oscar’s ability, so long as he gives families a better chance at saying goodbye to their loved ones.