Strange news - Oscar the death cat

[bloomz]

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Jul26/0,4670,DeathCat,00.html

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours. 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.
"He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," said Dr. David Dosa in an interview. He describes the phenomenon in a poignant essay in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
"Many family members take some solace from it. They appreciate the companionship that the cat provides for their dying loved one," said Dosa, a geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine at Brown University.
The 2-year-old feline was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a third-floor dementia unit at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The facility treats people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and other illnesses.
After about six months, the staff noticed Oscar would make his own rounds, just like the doctors and nurses. He'd sniff and observe patients, then sit beside people who would wind up dying in a few hours.
Dosa said Oscar seems to take his work seriously and is generally aloof. "This is not a cat that's friendly to people," he said.

Think they bill you for the "Cat Scan"? :dunno:

 

[Connie]

Bloomz, you can be so funny!

 

[BOSS]

Pretty amazing huh!

Animals are pretty dang smart and receptive, and CAN *know* things humans will NEVER understand.

One of my employees husbands was in a serious car accident 15 years ago, that left him with seizures. One of their dogs, predicts them 5-10 minutes before they start, and gets very upset. The dog will grab Tom by the pant leg, and try to drag him toward the house if he's outdoors, and will not calm down until Tom is sitting in his recliner.

The dog then sits at his feet, with his head in his lap until the seizure is over. Works every time he has one.

Animals can sense the change in body chemicals that take place prior to a seizure, or even death and are very in tune to the people around them.