Posted on 01/31/2010 1:09:30 PM PST by Slings and Arrows
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The scientist in Dr. David Dosa was skeptical when first told that Oscar, an aloof cat kept by a nursing home, regularly predicted patients' deaths by snuggling alongside them in their final hours.
Dosa's doubts eroded after he and his colleagues tallied about 50 correct calls made by Oscar over five years, a process he explains in a book released this week, "Making Rounds With Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat." (Hyperion, $23.99) The feline's bizarre talent astounds Dosa, but he finds Oscar's real worth in his fierce insistence on being present when others turn away from life's most uncomfortable topic: death.
"People actually were taking great comfort in this idea, that this animal was there and might be there when their loved ones eventually pass," Dosa said. "He was there when they couldn't be."
(Excerpt) Read more at thesunnews.com ...
Thanks for the ping!:)=^..^=
This cat at least becomes a friend who is with the dying until the end.
How many incorrect calls?
And would it freak you out if you lived in a nursing home and Oscar the Death Cat started snuggling next to you?
My analysis is that those who have the strength to kick the cat off their bed have the strength to hang on a while longer.
Obama got a Nobel prize.........Now he needs an Oscar! lol
Is this Schrödinger’s Cat?
>Obama got a Nobel prize.........Now he needs an Oscar! lol
LOL - Timing is everything.
Schrödinger’s cat was subject to quantum uncertainty, while Oscar seems to be quite predictable. Maybe he becomes entangled with each of his victims.
Always a pleasure.
Bingo. We have a winner.
Earlier Oscar articles:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2262256/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1884391/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1871929/posts
Friends? Obama the DemocRAT and Oscar the cat.
I dedicate Cuddle Up A Little Closer, sung by the Heftones, to the RAT and the CAT. lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTD-bBUYL54
Critters can be very comforting.
For most, a favored dog, cat, horse... is something special in times of stress.
Legend has it that death is not so bad; it’s the preliminaries that are so stressful!
LOL
Frankly, I don’t want ‘family’ standing around waiting for my final breath. Having a furry critter snuggled up to me is appealing.
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