Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are about to die. He does this by curling up to them during their final hours. His accuracy, seen in 25 cases, has led the staff of a Rhode Island nursing home to call family members once he has chosen someone.
Dr. David Dosa, a geriatrician, describes this otherworldly situation in Thursday’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
The 2-year-old feline resides at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, RI. He was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a third-floor dementia unit. The facility treats people with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and other illnesses.
