Hospice staff believed Oscar the cat curled up beside patients to comfort them — until they noticed he was ‘predicting death’

Angel or omen, Oscar appeared only at the final breath.

PUBLISHED 1 DAY AGO

(L) Old woman asleep in a chair with her cat, (R) Roses on a cemetery gravestone. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | (L) alarich, (R) WHL)

A cat walked into a hospice on a random day and became a permanent resident at the facility. While his stay was welcomed by all, doctors, nurses, and even patients, the feline had a remarkable service to offer. Oscar, an adorable cat with black splotches, had welcomed himself at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island, a decade ago. At the time, none of the residents or staff realized his special skill—the ability to curl up near patients nearing the end of life and provide a sense of comfort unlike anything else in the world, as reported by Crossroads Hospice.

Asian grandmother stays with her pet and home. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images |Erdark) — Asian grandmother stays with her pet at home. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images |Erdark)

Oscar the Hospice Cat is distinguished for predicting death and comforting dying patients. His journey at the hospice began in 2005. Initially, the cat kept an elusive and reclusive nature among the staff and patients, who barely spotted him around until someone was at the brink of death. “He wouldn’t really like to come out. He would keep to himself. Oftentimes, you’d find him in the supply closet or under a bed somewhere, and it wasn’t really until somebody was near death that Oscar would sort of come out front and center,” said Dr. David Dosa, a health researcher at Brown University.

Senior man reading book while sitting with cat on sofa. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images |Westend61)

Dr. Dosa was highly impressed by the cat's odd skill and noted the feline’s whereabouts in his book dedicated to Oscar, Making Rounds With Oscar. The book is based on his experience working as a geriatrician at the Steere House. The cat had a particularly significant presence in the dementia unit, where more victims breathed their last. Whenever he sensed a patient nearing their demise, Oscar would appear out of his hiding and crawl up to the patient to comfort them. Eventually, the doctor and other staff found out after a couple of deaths that the patients Oscar was staying with were “usually the next ones to go.”

A young white and black cat with blue eyes sits in front of the door of a house.(Representative Image Source: Getty Images |Colors Hunter - Chasseur de Couleurs)

However, this phenomenon was not based on a few coincidences, but on 20 to 30 deaths in a row. The realization left everyone in shock and acknowledged the “unique” situation. In a video shared by HypersionBooksVideos on YouTube, Dr. Dosa explained that Oscar was typically nowhere to be seen unless “somebody was in the dying process.” The feline would make rounds on the patients on the unit floor and comfort specific patients. Today, Oscar is known as the ‘Angel of Death’ for some, while others only think of him as an angel looking out for people at the end of life. His story has been covered in scientific journals and mainstream media, sparking mystique and widespread interest.

Jacqueline Pritchard, a British animal expert, talked to BBC News about Oscar’s “sixth sense.” She theorized that the cat was sensing vital organs shutting down to predict the patient’s demise. The popular theory from most experts suggests that cats, even dogs, can smell the chemical changes in the body and the breakdown of smell. These changes also cause the animals to behave differently, almost as if to honor the humans in their final days, per How Stuff Works.