Köttur dauðans

Undanfarin 2. ár hefur Oscar, köttur dauðans, gengið um ganga Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center á Rhode Island.  Þeir sem Oscar velur virðast að öllu jöfnu ekki eiga nema u.þ.b. 4. tíma eftir ólifað.

Ef marka má frétt Globe and Mail, gerir Oscar ekki mörg mistök. Þeir sem hann velur kveðja jarðvistina.

En í fréttinni má m.a. lesa eftirfarandi:

"Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing-home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours.

His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live.

"He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," said David Dosa. He describes the phenomenon in a poignant essay in today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The two-year-old feline was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a third-floor dementia unit at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The facility treats people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and other illnesses. After about six months, the staff noticed Oscar would make his own rounds, just like the doctors and nurses. He'd sniff and observe patients, then sit beside people who would wind up dying in a few hours."

"Doctors say most of the people who get a visit from the sweet-faced, grey-and-white cat are so ill they probably don't know he's there, so patients aren't aware he's a harbinger of death. Most families are grateful for the advance warning, although one wanted Oscar out of the room while a family member died. When Oscar is put outside, he paces and meows his displeasure.

No one's certain if Oscar's behaviour is scientifically significant or points to a cause. Dr. Teno wonders if the cat notices tell-tale scents or reads something into the behaviour of the nurses who raised him.

Nursing home staffers aren't concerned with explaining Oscar, so long as he gives families a better chance at saying goodbye to the dying."

Vissulega athyglivert, enda kettir vissulega merkileg dýr.  Hér í fyrndinni voru þeir gjarna tendgir skrattanum, en ég hefði gaman af því að vita ef einhverjir þekkja svipaðar sögur af dýrum.