Death Cat On The Prowl
By Dave Hall
Residents of the Steere House Nursing Centre in Providence, Rhode Island are hoping that the local pussycat does not pay them a visit since he has an eerie habit of predicting patient deaths.Raised in the nursing home as a kitten, the fluffy feline has sat on the end of more than 25 residents, all of whom died shortly afterwards, according to officials.
Dr. Joan Teno, a professor of community health at Brown University, who visits patients on the ward, said, "the cat always does manage to make an appearance, and it always seems to be in the last two hours."
When Oscar prowls around the wards and jumps up on the bed of a resident for a little snooze, the home carers know that the end is nigh. "I don't think this is a psychic cat," said Teno, "I think there's probably a biochemical explanation."
The news of this angel of death has filtered up to the top of the science tree and has recently featured in the New England Journal of Medicine.
So far no one has accused Oscar of actually causing the deaths, but then with his reputation, would you?Do you have a killer psychic pet? Let us know at [email protected].
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Image: Christina Patronis
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