Doctor’s book profiles nursing home’s furry and comforting angel of death: Oscar the cat
By Ray Henry, APSunday, January 31, 2010
Book profiles furry angel of death: Oscar the cat
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The scientist in Dr. David Dosa was skeptical when he was told that an aloof cat at the nursing home where he worked could predict death.
But Dosa has tallied about 50 correct calls Oscar’s made over five years. He profiles the gray, brown and white cat in a book released this week, “Making Rounds With Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat.”
Dosa is a Brown University professor and works at a Rhode Island nursing home that cares for patients with severe dementia.
Several years ago, the staff noticed that Oscar would lay beside patients who had just hours to live. No one knows why he does it. But when the cat curls alongside a patient, the staff knows it’s time to alert family members.
