The Grim Rea-Purrr Cat Predicts Death

Okay, this is a most fascinating story. As I've said before...I always have my eyes and mind wide open for glimpses of the mystical and magical in everyday life. And in my opinion, this story certainly qualifies. This is the story of a cat named Oscar, who was adopted by the Dementia unit of Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Rhode Island. It turns out that Oscar is a kitty with a magical, albeit slightly 'macabre' gift. The cat has 'Divination' powers that allow him to predict and pinpoint the exact time of death of the patients within 2-4 hours. A dying patient is not an uncommon occurrence there, as they often receive 'end of life' care on the locked ward of the facility. And almost immediately upon his arrival to the home, Oscar began predicting the deaths just a few hours before they occurred.

Oscar, who is not an especially friendly or social cat, makes his rounds each day to each of the patients rooms. He goes in, walks around, checks things out and leaves if all is well. But like a feline Grim Reaper...if he senses and knows that a patient will be dying, he will get up on their bed and snuggle up to them, contentedly purring and easing them through their transition into the after-life. He will usually remain with them for the 2 hours leading up to their death. And he does not leave their side once they have passed, but rather waits for the undertakers to come take the body. He then joins the processional of health care workers who walk with him to the door to honor the patient. Oscar is not allowed off the premises, but he does follow to the door and watches as the patient is taken away.

To date, Oscar has accurately predicted the deaths of 25 patients and has won the trust and admiration of a previously skeptical medical staff. Oscar's focus is not to heal, and he doesn't befriend the patients at any other time than when they are transitioning into death. His job appears to be aiding and comforting them as they make that transition. And without fail, he will be settled on their bed for 2 hours prior to their actual time of death. The staff and Doctors have offered up several quasi-scientific theories for this behavior, such as an animal's ability to tune into signals of the human body like minute chemical changes and shifts in hormones.

But there is another theory that was offered up by none other than Laurie Cabot, Salem's first official Witch. She believes Oscar is in psychic communication with the patients. She states that, "Science has found that the brainwaves of cats never go into Beta mode, they are always in Alpha. And it is in the Alpha range that all psychic things happen. He knows they are going to die because he is picking up on their brainwaves. He is clearly trying to help these people walk over into the other world."

Interesting to note...Oscar is but one of six cats at the nursing facility, yet he is the only one who exhibits this strange gift and behavior. Needless to say, Oscar is indeed tuned into knowledge that even the caregivers themselves cannot access. To me, that is pretty magical indeed. I am posting the link to the full story by Victoria Moore because it truly is fascinating to read about the patient the Doctor thought Oscar got wrong, and his very unusual response when one family did not wish for him to be in the room with their dying loved one. You must check it out. "The Cat that can Predict Death."

The story also got me to pondering on how I'd feel if I were one of those terminally ill patients. Would it make me anxious every day when Oscar made his rounds? Would I start panicking if he lingered just a little too long in my room? If I were the family of a patient, would I become paranoid and begin to think that Oscar truly is the Grim Reaper in fur and whiskers...waiting to lay the curse of death on my loved one? Should I refuse to let the cat into the room at all to try and delay the inevitable?

And what of my own black cat Coventina? What psychic powers does she possess? The first and only thing that comes to mind is her extremely irritating psychic ability to know when anyone has left a door cracked open, so that she can run outside and hide in the bushes, forcing you to spend 2 hours trying to coax her back inside, thereby making you swear out loud, miss your appointment and think very hard about giving her back to the person that cursed you with her in the first place...ha!!! I don't think it's in quite the same league as Oscar's gifts however. And honestly, I am rather glad of that since she came and laid on my bed for several hours this morning! :o)