Thursday, July 26, 2007

Cat of Death

Yes, yes, I know. I should have posted some of my FAAAAHbulous Spain stories by now, but I'm busy AND I'm lazy; and one of my mad scientists has to go to DC today and get the National Science Medal from Dumbo Dubya, so he's freakin'.

But I could NOT let this story go without bringing it to your attention, dear reader. Oscar, The Certified Cat-O-Death, and practically a hospice consultant for Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University.


This cute little feline has sat death watch at the side of many advanced dementia cases in extremis. In fact, this cat has accurately predicted and witnessed the deaths of over 25 patients in this unit. It simply knows when the patient is going to kick, mostly by sniffing at them while perched up on their beds. If they ain't ready to go, he leaves. If they are, he curls up and snuggles them. Until they do die, and then he just leaves.

Read the article in The New England Journal of Medicine: it is way freaky.

4 comments:

slyboots2 said...

Oooh- I am a sucker for a kitty story!

There was a kitty of death at the rest home where my step-father's mother died. Ditto the story above- she had a cat on her bed when she died. And then it left.

(S)wine said...

love that.
it's why i dig cats.
they can smell death.

(S)wine said...

here's one for sly:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/07/25/colombia.rats.ap/index.html

slyboots2 said...

OMG- did you watch the video? The kitteh- he was delishus. And now I am all misspelling because I have been bedazzled by the cuteness...Goork!