cats

Illustrations © Barbara J Holzapfel

A remarkable story emerged in the July 2007 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine regarding a cat who would 'predict' the impending death of patients in a nursing home a few hours before they died. The adopted cat, Oscar, at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre in Providence, R.I., was known for at least 25 successful predictions, in which patients died hours after the cat sat down on their beds. Oscar regularly wandered around the nursing home then purred while sitting with the dying patient, leaving soon after the passing. One gift of Oscar's uncanny ability was the nursing home's opportunity to alert families whenever the cat took up his post.

Some may argue that it most likely has to do with a specific odour produced by the dying patients. Others may rest in their belief that animals, cats specifically, have a sixth sense when it comes to other creatures who may need healing comfort. Either way, Oscar and many other family felines, have brought an undeniable sense of peace and harmony to many folks facing the final transition from this life.