1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

[freaky] Cat predicts deaths of nursing home residents

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by Faos, Jul 25, 2007.

Tags:
Page 1 of 2
  1. Faos

    Faos Member

    Joined:
    May 31, 2003
    Messages:
    15,370
    Likes Received:
    53
    Cat accurately predicts deaths of nursing home residents

    http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl//hp/front/4998868.html

    By RAY HENRY
    Associated Press


    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.

    Oscar is better at predicting death than the people who work there, said Dr. Joan Teno of Brown University, who treats patients at the nursing home and is an expert on care for the terminally ill

    She was convinced of Oscar's talent when he made his 13th correct call. While observing one patient, Teno said she noticed the woman wasn't eating, was breathing with difficulty and that her legs had a bluish tinge, signs that often mean death is near.

    Oscar wouldn't stay inside the room though, so Teno thought his streak was broken. Instead, it turned out the doctor's prediction was roughly 10 hours too early. Sure enough, during the patient's final two hours, nurses told Teno that Oscar joined the woman at her bedside.

    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.

    If Oscar really is a furry grim reaper, it's also possible his behavior could be driven by self-centered pleasures like a heated blanket placed on a dying person, Dodman said.

    Nursing home staffers aren't concerned with explaining Oscar, so long as he gives families a better chance at saying goodbye to the dying.

    Oscar recently received a wall plaque publicly commending his "compassionate hospice care."
     
    #1 Faos, Jul 25, 2007
  2. codell

    codell Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2002
    Messages:
    19,312
    Likes Received:
    715
    He might be able to predict death, but can he drive a car? :rolleyes:

    [​IMG]
     
    #2 codell, Jul 25, 2007
  3. boomboom

    boomboom I GOT '99 PROBLEMS

    Joined:
    Sep 29, 1999
    Messages:
    12,774
    Likes Received:
    9,428
    If the cat curled up next to me...I'd have to go (image) on his ass!

    [​IMG]
     
    #3 boomboom, Jul 25, 2007
  4. rrj_gamz

    rrj_gamz Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2002
    Messages:
    15,595
    Likes Received:
    198
    Not to derail, but I was going to start a thread about frozen p***y...Hear me out...

    My boss' cat died, actually his fiances and she was out of town...wasn't feeling to and it went from bad to worse...Anywho, its monday, she leaves...by tuesday the cat is a gone, but his fiance still wants to see it...So what does he do, sticks it in the freezer...As he said, next to the sushi... :D

    Hell, I have never heard of this, but our IT guy proceeds to tell me that his sister, had her cat in the freezer over a year...The reason, well, they were about to move, so she wanted to bury it in the new back yard...To each there own as they say...

    And yes, the prediction is kinda freaky...carry on ...
     
    #4 rrj_gamz, Jul 25, 2007
  5. RocketFan007

    RocketFan007 Member

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2001
    Messages:
    5,176
    Likes Received:
    273
    My grandfather spent his last month with my family at our home. He was basically forced to spend the vast majority of his day in a hospital bed we had put in on of our bedrooms. We have three German shepherds, and they would each take turns laying next to his bed. There was never a moment that any of family noticed one of the dogs wasn't in the room. However, at almost the exact moment my grandfather past away, the dog that was in the room stood up and left. All three dogs then laid together right outside of the door until he was moved to the funeral home.

    When our oldest German shepherd was just a puppy, she would jump on everyone that came through the door. The only exception was my grandmother, who was terminally ill. She never jumped on her, but would wait until my grandmother sat down, then would move next to the chair and lay by her.

    I honestly believe that animals somehow can sense sickness and death.
     
    #5 RocketFan007, Jul 25, 2007
  6. Behad

    Behad Member

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 1999
    Messages:
    12,358
    Likes Received:
    193
    LOL...ok, I have not read a word of this thread, but when I clicked on it, I was asked if I wanted to allow "catass.com" to set a cookie....not sure what to expect.
     
    #6 Behad, Jul 25, 2007
  7. ClutchCityReturns

    ClutchCityReturns Member

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2005
    Messages:
    13,441
    Likes Received:
    2,701
    The cat's not predicting their death...

    he's causing it :eek: (insert creepy musical tune)
     
    #7 ClutchCityReturns, Jul 25, 2007
  8. AroundTheWorld

    AroundTheWorld Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2000
    Messages:
    83,288
    Likes Received:
    62,281
    Something tells me it's this cat...

    [​IMG]
     
    #8 AroundTheWorld, Jul 25, 2007
  9. BetterThanI

    BetterThanI Member

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2007
    Messages:
    4,181
    Likes Received:
    381
    It's not just sickness and death. Cats are amazingly perceptive.

    My wife and I were sitting in our living room one day when our orange tabby Max ran past with his tail hung low, looking terrified. He hid under the futon and would not come out, no matter what. Normally, he only goes into hiding when he senses a storm coming. I went out on our porch, saw clear blue skies all around, and thought "Well, Max got this one wrong." Less than an hour later, the skies were black as pitch, hail and rain were pelting our apt., and our power had gone out.
     
    #9 BetterThanI, Jul 26, 2007
  10. Mr. Clutch

    Mr. Clutch Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2002
    Messages:
    46,550
    Likes Received:
    6,132
    Hmmm, who is this cat, really?

    [​IMG]
     
    #10 Mr. Clutch, Jul 26, 2007
  11. Chance

    Chance Member

    Joined:
    Feb 10, 2000
    Messages:
    3,664
    Likes Received:
    4
    That is creep

    y.

    That was like reading a ghost story.


    ugh. chills.
     
    #11 Chance, Jul 26, 2007
  12. A-Train

    A-Train Member

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2000
    Messages:
    15,997
    Likes Received:
    39
    [​IMG]

    DEATH!!!!!
     
    #12 A-Train, Jul 26, 2007
  13. Miguel

    Miguel Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2003
    Messages:
    5,625
    Likes Received:
    140
    #13 Miguel, Jul 26, 2007
  14. Xerobull

    Xerobull ...and I'm all out of bubblegum

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2003
    Messages:
    37,040
    Likes Received:
    35,980
    Bad Cat! He's failing in his job to protect the patients from the little goblin in the wall.

    [​IMG]
     
    #14 Xerobull, Jul 26, 2007
  15. BroadwayBelm

    BroadwayBelm Member

    Joined:
    Feb 8, 2007
    Messages:
    866
    Likes Received:
    2
    [​IMG]
     
    #15 BroadwayBelm, Jul 26, 2007
  16. BroadwayBelm

    BroadwayBelm Member

    Joined:
    Feb 8, 2007
    Messages:
    866
    Likes Received:
    2
    [​IMG]
     
    #16 BroadwayBelm, Jul 26, 2007
  17. dntrwl

    dntrwl Member

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2007
    Messages:
    3,612
    Likes Received:
    44
    it's like the angel of death..reincarnated in a kitty...
     
    #17 dntrwl, Jul 26, 2007
  18. JeopardE

    JeopardE Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2006
    Messages:
    7,418
    Likes Received:
    246
    <img src="http://xcomputerman.com/~ibukun/lolcat_kickbuckit.jpg" />
     
    #18 JeopardE, Jul 26, 2007
  19. Rocketman95

    Rocketman95 Hangout Boy

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 1999
    Messages:
    48,984
    Likes Received:
    1,445
    This made me laugh.
     
    #19 Rocketman95, Jul 26, 2007
  20. SWTsig

    SWTsig Member

    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2002
    Messages:
    14,055
    Likes Received:
    3,755
    some solid contributions in this thread...

    kudos, gang!
     
    #20 SWTsig, Jul 26, 2007
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)
Page 1 of 2

Share This Page