The Angel of Death is Really a =^-..-^=

=^-..-^= · Post by **=^-..-^=** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 12:55 pm

You know you're having a bad day when Oscar cuddles up on your lap:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/oscar- ... 67772.html

OSCAR the cat makes his grand entrances just as life is about to leave.

A hop onto the bed, a fastidious lick of the paws, then a snuggle beside a nursing home patient with little time left. Oscar's purr, when keeping close company with the dying, is so intense it is almost a low rumble.

"He's a cat with an uncanny instinct for death," said David Dosa, assistant professor at the Brown University School of Medicine and a geriatric specialist. "He attends deaths. He's pretty insistent on it."

In the two years since Oscar was adopted into the dementia unit of the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre in Providence he has maintained close vigil over the deaths of more than 25 patients, nursing staff and doctors say.

Dr Dosa had an essay on Oscar published yesterday in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Like any feline, Oscar gives a hefty portion of his day to sleep. He likes to doze on stacks of patient reports. Or on the desk at the nurses' station. Or in the linen closet.

When awake, however, the mixed-breed cat shows a solemn dedication to duty, making regular "inspection" rounds of the unit, sauntering in and out of patient rooms - as if checking on the condition of the occupants.

When death is near, Oscar nearly always appears at the last hour or so. Yet he shows no special interest in patients who are simply in poor shape, or even patients who may be dying but who still have a few days. Authorities in animal behaviour have no explanation for Oscar's ability to sense imminent death. They theorise that he might detect some subtle change in metabolism - felines are as acutely sensitive to smells as dogs - but are stumped as to why he would show interest.

In any event, when Oscar settles on a patient's bed, caregivers take it as a sign that family members should be summoned immediately.

"We've come to recognise him hopping on the bed as one indicator the end is very near," said Mary Miranda, charge nurse on the surprisingly cheery floor that is home to 41 patients in the final stages of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, a stroke, and other mentally debilitating diseases. "Oscar's been consistently right."

Keeping pets has been a trend in nursing home care for several years. The Steere Centre, founded in 1874, has 120 residents, plus six cats, a slew of parakeets and a floppy-eared rabbit. Oscar's sole domain, however, is the locked dementia ward. He came to the unit as a kitten in July 2005, brought by a staff member to replace the floor's previous resident feline, Henry, who had died some months earlier
A gregarious cat, quick to solicit ear scratches from a visitor, Oscar can be clownish at times. "Just go and try completing a medical form when Oscar's near enough to whap the pen," laughed Dr Joan Teno.

But it is Oscar's keen sense of impending death that has made him a legend.

"Medical people are sceptical at the start. But you wind up believing," Dr Teno said.

"Oscar is a normal cat with an extra-normal sense for death. He is drawn to death."

Occasionally, families are spooked by a cat keeping death watch, and Oscar is shooed from the bed and locked from the room. He does not like this. "He kind of rubs aggressively against the door, paces back and forth, yowls in protest," Dr Teno said.

Other families are deeply appreciative of Oscar.

Jack McCullough lost his mother and his aunt at Steere; the octogenarian sisters both suffered from disease-induced dementia.

His mother died in November 2005; his aunt in March this year. In both cases, Oscar hopped onto the woman's bed near the final hour, cuddling close and purring.

"Oscar's presence gave a sense of completion and contentment," Mr McCullough said. "Both women loved pets."

He added: "Oscar brought a special serenity to the room. What's more peaceful than a purring cat? What sound more beautiful to fill one's ears when leaving this life?"

bassjones · Post by **bassjones** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 2:04 pm

What's more peaceful than a purring cat? What sound more beautiful to fill one's ears when leaving this life?"

Oh, I could think of about a million things... shotgun blasts, nails on chalkboards, squealing brakes of a semi and my wife's nagging, just to name a few.

But I'm not exactly a cat person...

MrSpall · Post by **MrSpall** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 3:01 pm

Fact is, old people are deathly allergic to cats.

sevesd93 · Post by **sevesd93** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 3:44 pm

bassjones wrote:
What's more peaceful than a purring cat? What sound more beautiful to fill one's ears when leaving this life?"

A slurping sound coming from my waist...

Al Quandt · Post by **Al Quandt** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 4:04 pm

sevesd93 wrote:
bassjones wrote:
What's more peaceful than a purring cat? What sound more beautiful to fill one's ears when leaving this life?"

A slurping sound coming from my waist...

mixed with a slight humming sound?

sevesd93 · Post by **sevesd93** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 4:40 pm

kimaliz wrote:
sevesd93 wrote:
bassjones wrote:

A slurping sound coming from my waist...
mixed with a slight humming sound?

Sure why not, your dying right? You might as well pay for a little extra...

=^-..-^= · Post by **=^-..-^=** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 10:45 pm

Well, this thread went to hell rather quickly. . . .

and Oscar was nowhere near when it happened.

=^-..-^= · Post by **=^-..-^=** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 9:43 am

That's it! . . .I KNOW there's a song in there somewhere, and I'm going to write it!

Oscar, the kitty of death. . .

Stand by. . . .

Al Quandt · Post by **Al Quandt** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 12:15 pm

haha i cant wait

MrSpall · Post by **MrSpall** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 3:23 pm

Sorry =^-..-^=

jtkennedy9 · Post by **jtkennedy9** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 4:08 pm

[quote="=^-..-^="]
Oscar, the kitty of death. . .
quote]

Brilliant....

=^-..-^= · Post by **=^-..-^=** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 11:39 am

=^-..-^= wrote:That's it! . . .I KNOW there's a song in there somewhere, and I'm going to write it!

Oscar, the kitty of death. . .

Stand by. . . .

Here it is:

Death Cat

Somebody everybody someday is gonnaâ€™ get it, gotta have their time
Someday, today, tomorrow, a day, maybe a minute, choice it isnâ€™t mine
Low cancer, big disaster, in a car, by drunken bastard, anâ€™ yaâ€™ know thatâ€™s fine
Salvation reservation invitation, big occasion coming up on high

At my side here, to abide near, on the big ride, kitty kitty comes to be my guide
Sleep soundly, angels â€˜round me, purring loudly, Oscar kitty wonâ€™t be denied
Golden city, angel kitty, sitting pretty on my blanket as I step inside
Call the family here, when death is near, itâ€™s clear to me that Oscar kitty says itâ€™s time

And now your numberâ€™s up
When the death cat comes
You know your numberâ€™s up
Because the death cat comes

Is it miracle, or clinical, youâ€™re cynical that Oscar thing can be divine
Certain smells, heavenâ€™s bells, angel tells a certain kitty whom to lay beside
Is it hopeful, take a photo, anecdotal, search your soul though then you decide
Nervous doctors certain nurses grieving families watch the kitty now with wondering eyes

Somebody everybody someday is gonnaâ€™ get it, gotta have their time
Someday, today, tomorrow, a day, maybe a minute, choice it isnâ€™t mine
Golden city, angel kitty, sitting pretty on my blanket as I step inside
Call the family here, when death is near, itâ€™s clear to me that Oscar kitty says itâ€™s time

And now your numberâ€™s up
When the death cat comes
You know your numberâ€™s up
Because the death cat comes

WBOB · Post by **WBOB** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 1:54 pm

Sounds like an old Disney flick that turned evil...

=^-..-^= · Post by **=^-..-^=** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 4:17 pm