In a quiet nursing home in Providence, Rhode Island, there lives a tabby cat named Oscar whose story defies explanation and touches the heart in the most profound ways. He is no ordinary cat—Oscar possesses a remarkable gift: he seems to know exactly when patients are nearing the end of their lives. Time and again, he seeks out those moments, curling up beside patients in their final hours, offering a gentle presence when it’s needed most.
Oscar’s journey began humbly in 2005. Adopted as a timid and frightened kitten by the staff at Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, he was initially shy and reclusive. “He wouldn’t really like to come out. He would keep to himself. Often times you’d find him in the supply closet or under a bed somewhere,” recalls Dr. David Dosa, the geriatrician who has cared for many of the patients Oscar visits. Yet, something changed. Slowly but surely, Oscar began emerging from his hiding spots—and whenever someone was nearing death, Oscar would appear, seemingly drawn to them.
What started as a curious pattern became an extraordinary phenomenon. Oscar would quietly slip into the rooms of patients who were about to pass, curl up beside them, and stay until their last breath. “We found out after he did this several times that the people he was staying with were usually the next ones to go,” Dr. Dosa explains. “One death occurred, then two deaths, and ultimately about 20 or 30 deaths in a row.” The nursing staff began to notice Oscar’s visits were more than coincidence—they were an almost certain signal that death was near.
One of the first patients to reveal Oscar’s gift was Mrs. Lilia Davis, an 80-year-old woman with advanced colon cancer. Nurse Mary Miranda remembers the morning she brought Dr. Dosa to Mrs. Davis’s room. Oscar lay nestled against Mrs. Davis’s leg, quietly watching. Less than an hour later, Mrs. Davis passed away. “David, I really think the cat knows,” Mary said, a conviction that would only grow stronger with time.
Oscar’s ability isn’t limited to patients who are obviously ill or expected to die. Consider the case of Ellen Sanders, who appeared healthy and strong despite her dementia diagnosis. No one anticipated her death was near, yet Oscar sensed something others couldn’t. He started visiting her room repeatedly, offering quiet companionship. “Oscar was there at the bedside, just like all the others,” Dr. Dosa notes. “While none of the medical staff thought she was close to death, that cat sensed something else.”
One of the most poignant stories involves Ralph Reynolds. Staff believed he was nearing death and placed Oscar in his room as a comforting presence. However, Oscar abruptly ran out, ignoring Ralph. The staff thought maybe Oscar was mistaken, and Ralph survived another 36 hours. Yet, just four hours before Ralph’s passing, Oscar returned, pacing outside the room anxiously before finally leaping onto the bed beside him, staying until the very end.
Oscar’s visits aren’t limited to a single patient at a time. When Lawrence Scheer was dying after a long battle with Alzheimer’s, Oscar initially stayed away. But when another patient was approaching death, Oscar sat anxiously by that patient’s side until they passed. Then, almost immediately, Oscar dashed to Lawrence’s room and stayed with him until his last breath. “Oscar looked really anxious,” Lawrence’s son Robin recalls, “and a few hours later, my father died.”
Families and staff have been deeply moved by Oscar’s quiet devotion. Jack McCullough, whose mother Marion had been cared for at Steere House, recalls how Oscar’s visits became longer and more frequent as she grew sicker. On the night she died, Oscar lay beside her, motionless until after she passed. “He got up casually, as if nothing had happened, and left the room,” Jack says softly. This calm acceptance, this silent witness to life’s end, has brought comfort to countless families during times of grief.
So how does Oscar do it? Scientists have considered that dying cells release unique chemical signals—ketones and other compounds—detectable by animals with sensitive noses. “It’s likely that he’s responding to some smell when cells start to break down,” Dr. Dosa offers. And indeed, animals are known to perceive things invisible to human senses. Dogs have been trained to detect cancer; could Oscar’s acute senses pick up a subtle “scent of death”?
Regardless of the explanation, Oscar’s role transcends science. He reminds us that the final moments of life are precious, deserving of comfort and dignity. His presence signals more than the approach of death; it is a tender offering of companionship in a time often filled with fear and loneliness.
Dr. Dosa reflects, “Science has taken us a long way, but we still just scratch the surface. Maybe some people just know when their time has come. Some cats, too.”
Oscar’s intuition is more than just prediction; it’s about presence. His gentle vigil has offered solace not only to patients but also to their families, often providing a comforting bridge in moments of fear and uncertainty. For instance, during the final hours of Mrs. K., surrounded by her family, Oscar curled up beside her, and a young grandson asked, “What is the cat doing here?” His mother tearfully replied, “He is here to help Grandma get to heaven.”
Since he was adopted by staff members as a kitten, Oscar the Cat has had an uncanny ability to predict when residents are about to die. Thus far, he has presided over the deaths of more than 25 residents on the third floor of Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island. After a short illness, Oscar passed away on February 22nd, leaving behind a legacy of comfort, compassion, and quiet companionship that touched the lives of many.
To learn more about Oscar’s extraordinary gift and the impact he had on those around him, you can take a look at the book Making Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat by Dr. David Dosa.
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