This Rhode Island Cat Has Uncanny Ability To Sense When Someone Is About To Pass Away
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It’s no secret that cats have incredible senses, which make them such skilled hunters in the wild.
Because of these sharp instincts, many believe cats can also sense when someone is unwell.
They aren’t psychic, and they don’t understand medical conditions. Still, they can often notice subtle changes in a person’s body that may signal health problems.
For instance, my grandma suffered a stroke that left her unable to use her left arm. Her cat consistently curls up on that side of her body, especially near her hand. To me, it seems like the cat senses something is off.
Oscar the cat, however, took this ability to another level. He became known for recognizing when someone was seriously ill or even close to passing away.
Oscar gained fame for sensing when more than 35 patients were nearing the end of life before he was even six months old.
He served as a therapy cat at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island.
Oscar was perfect for the role. Each day, he checked in on roughly 40 patients with dementia.
Where Did Oscar Come From?
Oscar started life as a stray, rescued from the streets. He was raised in a home environment and was never particularly cuddly. Yet as a therapy cat, he maintained a daily routine of visiting about 40 patients.
Doctors noticed something unusual. Because he wasn’t especially affectionate, it was hard to predict his whereabouts. He could be either with a patient or resting somewhere quietly on his own.
One day, he quietly entered a patient’s room and stayed there. By the next morning, the patient had passed away, and Oscar simply left.
At first, the staff assumed it was a coincidence. But the pattern kept repeating. David Dosa, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, explained:
“He only stays with the patients if they really are at the end of life, if the family doesn’t object. He will come into a room and jump on the windowsill and sit there for hours on end. Occasionally he will jump on the bed and curl up next to a patient and he’ll be there until the very end.”
Scientists believe Oscar could detect certain chemical changes in the body that occur as someone nears the end.
David Dosa even wrote a book about him, Making Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat.
The book is available on Amazon and shares more incredible stories about this extraordinary therapy cat.
So, what do you think? Did Oscar have a special gift, or could other cats have similar abilities? I believe it’s a combination of both.
Oscar was an exceptional cat with amazing senses and a compassionate nature, able to comfort those at the end of life, but not every cat can do this.
Wouldn’t it be comforting to spend your final moments with a cat like Oscar? I know I’d want that.
