This Cat Became Known As The Angel Of Death After Predicting When People Would Pass Away, And He Baffled Doctors With Surprising Accuracy

Most therapy cats are brought into nursing homes to provide comfort, companionship, and joy to the residents. However, Oscar the cat became known for something far more mysterious.

In 2005, Oscar the cat was taken in by Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island, when he was just six months old. He was raised to be a therapy cat.

At first, he wasn't particularly friendly with the residents. He was very scared and liked to keep to himself. He never came out of his hiding spot until someone was near death.

Somehow, Oscar could sense when a patient was about to die. He would target a specific patient, visit them in their room, and even cuddle with them.

The staff didn't think much of it, but eventually, they noticed an unsettling pattern. Each time Oscar would cozy up to a patient, that patient would soon pass away.

This occurred 20 times before the staff was convinced Oscar's behavior wasn't random. The staff began taking Oscar's visits seriously and would call the family members of residents when the cat started to get friendly with them.

"When Oscar makes his rounds, he walks around the unit checking in on the 40-some patients on the floor," said Dr. David Dosa, a health researcher and geriatrician from Brown University, who was working with patients at Steere House at the time.

"He only stays with patients if they really are at the end of life. He will come into a room; he has been known to jump on the windowsill and sit there for hours on end. Occasionally, he will jump on the bed and curl up to a patient, and he will be there until the very end."

Oscar was sometimes referred to as an Angel of Death and thought that he might have some sort of special animal instinct beyond what humans have.

uladzimirzuyeu - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual cat - pictured above a white cat on top of a chair

There may also be a scientific explanation. Research has shown that both cats and dogs have the ability to smell disease and illness in humans. Perhaps Oscar could sense the chemical changes that occur in the body when a patient is dying.

On one occasion, Oscar appeared to get it "wrong." He ignored a resident whom the staff was convinced would soon pass away. Instead, he sat with another resident who appeared to be healthier, and that resident actually passed away first.

Over the course of 17 years, Oscar accurately predicted more than 100 deaths. He earned himself an almost supernatural reputation among those at Steere House.

He passed away in 2022, but his unusual legacy remains. It's undeniable that the mysterious cat had an uncanny ability to know when someone needed a little extra company at the end of their life.

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