Psychic Cat Patrols Nursing Home Offering Comfort To Patients In Their Dying Days

Cats are often said to possess a sixth sense and most cat owners believe there’s a lot more to our feline friends than meets the eye, but are cats capable of having physic powers and can they predict the time of someone’s death?

The staff and patients at Steere House Nursing centre certainly believe so, and are convinced that for the last ten years, their resident cat, Oscar, has predicted the deaths of over 100 people.

The 10-year-old tabby has patrolled the hallways and doorways of Steere House since he was a kitten. Oscar is renowned as being notoriously anti-social and aloof, until residents are days from death, and then the miracle moggy seeks them out and offers them companionship and comfort in their time of dying.

The Mirror reports that baffled doctors are at a loss to explain Oscar’s unnerving ability to know exactly which patient is only days away from death. On several occasions Oscar has even proven medical staff wrong when it comes to predicting which patients were close to death.

The psychic cat’s abilities were first given the oxygen of publicity in an article in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2007 by Dr David Dosa and since then Oscar’s supernatural powers have shown no sign of waning.

Dr Dosa explained that Oscar only seeks out ‘end of life’ patients who are at death’s door and terminally ill residents who face the prospect of dying alone.

“His mere presence at the bedside is viewed by physicians and nursing home staff as an almost absolute indicator of impending death, allowing staff members to adequately notify families.

“Lots of families have told me that having Oscar around is a great comfort for them and their loved ones. Whether it’s just cuddling up to people who are alone or keeping children busy, it’s really something that the families were grateful and thankful for. Oscar is a real miracle.”

The doctor explained to the Mirror that the psychic cat is probably responding to a pheromone or a scent given off by those close to death, but anyone with a passing acquaintance with cats may feel Oscar’s gift runs a little deeper.

In November 2013, Oscar suffered a serious allergic reaction and felt the breath of the grim reaper on his own collar when his heart stopped beating and he was proclaimed clinically dead for several seconds.

Fortunately he was taken into intensive care and quick-thinking vets saved his life. After a few months of being a patient at Steere House Nursing Centre, Oscar returned to normal duties – comforting those in their hour of need and keeping a watchful eye on those ready to make the journey between this world and the next.

[Image Via Wikimedia Commons]