Animals have often been thought to have unique powers. One belief is that some of them can actually tell when a human being is very sick or close to dying. If you have not yet heard the story of Oscar the cat, you should check it out. It is quite fascinating and will only strengthen the idea that animals have certain abilities not possessed by humans.

Oscar is a cat who was adopted to give company to dementia patients at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The facility treats elderly people who have diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

But now, Steere House is receiving national attention because of Oscar’s seemingly innate ability to predict patients’ deaths. 

Oscar has been roaming the halls of the center for over a year, but it was only rather recently that staff members noticed that the kitten consistently cuddles up to patients who are about to die. He climbs onto the beds of those who are near death and rests with them until they die.

If you are a bit skeptical and think that it is merely a fluke, consider this: Oscar has been right nearly thirty times during the past year. Doctors may have an idea that a patient will die relatively soon, but none of them can predict with such accuracy a person’s passing.     

So, the question then becomes, how does he do it? Nobody knows for sure, but there are a number of theories. One is that Oscar can sense a slowing down of a patient’s heart rate. Another is that Oscar, like all cats, can smell biological and chemical changes within humans.

Whatever the reason, Oscar has proven that his ability to predict death is no coincidence. Rather than frighten people, though, he is apparently giving patients what they and their families all want as they prepare to die: comfort.

Posted by Rhonda.