I guess this gives new meaning to the term CAT Scan....

I've heard of dogs doing similar things. And we call them DUMB ANIMALS. Ha.

I think most cat parents know about the Dr. Cat mode, where even a standoffish cat will stay on the bed when you aren't well.

Agh, ten bucks to read the whole article on the nejm site.

Death makes you smart!

That is uncanny. I've heard that animals have a sixth sense about how people feel.

Yes, We believe that animals can tell when something is wrong. Our cats and dogs can tell when we are sick or feeling bad. They come and lay beside of us and curl up beside of us. Also, We notice that they will try to lick you as if they think they can make you better. I believe that Oscar is a special cat and that even though he does not get close to the residents he feels close to them since he has been with them everyday and he can sense that something is not right with the residents that he loves.And yes,we believe he goes to give them comfort.Oscar is a special cat and what a special gift he has. What we have read it seems like he has gave a lot of families that one more chance to say good-bye to a love one.That is something that everyone wants and we hope that the hospital takes very good care of him and gives him a soft bed to lay in. We read where he was laying on a desk. We hope they give him some cat toys to play with and give him lots of love.We are sure that the residents would want that for their loving pet.Thank you, Silas,Tamra & Pets

Also, we wanted to say that Oscar is a Beautiful cat. We were happy to read that for Oscar's compassionate hospice care that a plaque was put up on the wall at the hospital for him. Thank You, Silas,Tamra & Pets

This is a lot of baloney.
Voodoo and black magic are based upon the power of suggestion. If you can get someone to believe that sticking pins in a doll's belly will cause the person to have stomach cramps, then that person will have stomach cramps if you tell him that you have stuck pins in the doll's belly.
More and more these so-called home and hospice care facilities are becoming houses of death where they pump you up with painkillers and encourage you to die. In contrast, look at the spry fellow who just turned 103. That's how I want to go, old and wrinkly, not before my time due to some hateful soul in a hospice practicing gri-gri magic on me.

To Kitty Caretaker:
Sounds like you have a whole host of problems beyond not liking animals. I hope you do live to be 103, but you better hope your mind stays with you. I'm sure people in the care of a hospice facility do not want to be there, but circumstances dictate otherwise. We should be thankful for the role hospice caretakers have in our society. People are allowed to die with comfort and dignity. Good luck to you, I hope all of your unfounded anger goes away so you can enjoy the time you do have left. And oh yes, I'd rather be with the cat (and most animals in general) than most people, especially people so miserable. (Get the hint??)

Very socialized cats'll snuggle-up to anybody who's N-O-T fawning & calling them to 'come here kitty'... Try just ignoring one some time! Not grim reapers - jeez!

What if the fragile senior citizens were slightly allergic to cat dander or loose fur and Oscar's unsolicited visit was the final nail in their coffin for their M-A-N-Y ailments. Oscar could have just been looking for a non-fawning human or a warm electric blanket yet unwittingly unloaded a payload of aerial respiratory contaminants. Dog's are more allergically safer at rest homes. Cats may be undiscovered commercial GL insurance liabilities due to this...

I just finished reading the article online (which didn't cost anything, by the way) and I just want to thank Dr. Dosa for writing this article. We often think that doctors don't observe the small things but Dr. Dosa sets an example and a very high standard.

When my Mom was dying of cancer in a palliative care hospital, they let me bring our cat in to see her a few days before she died...and he did the exact same thing. He curled up beside Mom and didn't move until I put him in his carrier and took him back home. And the day she died, after I came home from the hospital, he layed in the middle of her bed and gave the longest, most mournful meow I've ever heard. He knew his Grandma wasn't coming home. Dumb? We're the ones who are dumb.

I truly believe that our pets (cats, dogs, ferrets, hamsters, etc.) are here on earth to show us God's unconditional love.

Note to Kitty Caretaker...I hope your care at the end of your life is better than your attituded.

Note to Oscar...Meow, my friend...MEOW!

yES, PERHAPS THIS CAT THING SOUNDS LIKE VOODOO, BUT OSCAR, WHO NEVER ENTERED MY MOTHER'S ROOM BEFORE, ENTERED HER ROOM, JUMPED ON HER BED, SHORTLY BEFORE SHE DIED AT STEERE HOUSE. MY SISTERS AND I ALL LOOKED AT ONE ANOTHER, WONDERING WHAT THE HECK IS THIS ABOUT. MY SISTER GENTLY SHOOED OSCAR AWAY; ONLY TO HAVE HIM RETURN A SHORT WHILE LATER. THE STAFF DID LET US KNOW OF HIS UNCANNY ABILITY TO PREDICT A DEATH IN A FEW HOURS; MY MOTHER DIED WITHIN TWO HOURS OF HIS VISIT. DON'T UNDERSTAND IT, BUT IT HAPPENED.