So the comic series "Dharma the Cat" was onto something: http://www.dharmathecat.com/
--- In [email protected], "sinhlnx" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > featured at > http://www.tinyurl.com/ynpzdm > > Oscar is obviously a Buddhist cat. He has a lot of compassion for > people, the way he cuddles up to them before they die. Then he > performs a Buddhist "Clear Light" technique to assist the people in > passing through the Bardos and into the Void.: > > Cat's a furry grim reaper > By RAY HENRY > Associated Press > Published on: 07/26/07 > PROVIDENCE, R.I. Dogs can sometimes predict an epileptic owner's > seizure or sniff at an owner's mole, signaling a possible cancer. > > Oscar the cat lives at a hospice care facility. > > When Oscar curls up on a patient's bed and stays there, the staff > knows it's time to call the family. It usually means the patient has > less than four hours to live. > > The feline's accuracy has been observed in 25 cases at Steere House > Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. > > "He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when > patients are about to die," Dr. David Dosa said in an interview. He > describes the phenomenon in a poignant essay in Thursday's issue of > the New England Journal of Medicine. > > "Many family members take some solace from it. They appreciate the > companionship that the cat provides for their dying loved one," said > Dosa, a geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine at Brown > University. > > The 2-year-old Oscar was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a third- > floor dementia unit at Steere House, which treats people with > Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and other illnesses. > > After about six months, the staff noticed the cat would make his own > rounds, just like the doctors and nurses. He'd sniff and observe > patients, and those he stayed with would wind up dying in a few > hours. > > Dosa said Oscar seems to take his work seriously and is generally > aloof. "This is not a cat that's friendly to people," he said.
