Oscar — The Cat that Fortells Death

Many times on this blog, I have discussed estate planning for pet owners.  Pet owners are often very concerned about how their pets will be cared for after death.  Little do they know that pets may be able to predict when their owners will die. 

It appears that a cat named Oscar (the picture accompanying this entry is not actually Oscar) has the ability to ascertain when patients in a Providence, Rhode Island nursing home are going to die.

According to AP, Cat plays furry grim reaper at nursing home, MSNBC, July 27, 2007:

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. * * *

Oscar is better at predicting death than the people who work there, said Dr. Joan Teno of Brown University * * *

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.

Compare Cats suck the breath from babies, sometimes killing them, Snopes.com, June 27, 2007 (concluding that this claim is an urban legend).