
Photo: David Dosa

Photo: David Dosa
In order to test his paranormal gift, the nurses at the nursing home tried placing Oscar on the bed of a patient they thought might be close to death. But the cat simply ‘charged out’ and went to sit with another patient. His judgement turned out to be correct – the second patient died the same evening, while the first one lived on for two more days. In his book, Dr. Dosa doesn’t offer any scientific explanations for the cat’s abilities, but he does suggest that Oscar – like dogs that are reportedly able to smell cancer – might be able to smell ketones, which are distinctly odored biochemicals given off by dying cells.
Photo: David Dosa
Dr. Jill Goldman, a certified animal behaviorist in California, has a different theory – that Oscar’s predictions might be a learned behavior. “There has been ample opportunity for him to make an association between ‘that’ smell and death.” And according to animal behaviorist Dr. Daniel Estep, Oscar may only be recognizing the patients’ lack of movement and interpreting it as illness, as cats can often sense when their owners are sick. Irrespective of the reason, patients and their families at the nursing home find comfort in Oscar’s presence, in the idea that the animal was there and might be there when their loved ones eventually pass. The staff have grown so confident of Oscar’s ESP that they now inform family members when he snuggles up with one of the patients. “It’s not like he dawdles,” Dr. Dosa wrote. “He’ll slip out for two minutes, grab some kibble and then he’s back at the patient’s side. It’s like he’s literally on a vigil.” And although the nursing home keeps five other cats, none of the others have exhibited similar behavior. Sources: Telegraph.co.uk, Who Forted