Oscar the Death Cat

This is one cat you may not want curling up next to you. Oscar, a two year old stray that was adopted as a kitten by the third floor dementia unit of the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island, reportedly has an uncanny ability to tell when a patient is about to die.

In over 25 observed cases, Oscar the Death Cat (they’re calling him that, not me) goes into a patient’s room about two hours before they kick the bucket. Sometimes he even sits down next to them.

One doctor was “convinced of Oscar’s talentâ€? during his 13th case. A patient the doctor was tending to showed many common signs of approaching death, but Oscar wouldn’t stay inside the room. The doctor thought the feline’s correct prediction streak was over, until 10 hours later. When the patient passed away a few hours after doctors expected, Oscar was right there with her.

While no one is sure if Oscar is actually sensing something supernatural, or just realizing patterns set by the nurses who raised him, his presence on the ward seems to cause more comfort then fear. He even received his own wall plague saluting his “compassionate hospice care.

What a cat is going to do with a complimentary plaque is anyone’s guess, but as long as he uses his cat powers for good (and stays the hell away from my bedside), I’ll salute him.