Remember Oscar, the fortune telling furball who makes the rounds at the Steere House? Staff maintain that he has the uncanny (or uncatty) ability to tell when patients have hours to live, and he has been there when many of them pass on. A physician who works there has now written up these stories and has immortalized the discerning feline in Making Rounds With Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat (Hyperion, $23.99) Dr. David Dosa published the original story of Oscar's vigils in the New England Journal of Medicine and the tv series "House" based part of an episode on a similar kitty's abilities.
Here's the description from Publishers Weekly.
Dosa, a geriatrician with a strong aversion to cats, tells the endearing story of Oscar the cat, the aloof resident at a nursing home who only spends time with people who are about to die. Despite hearing numerous stories about Oscar's uncanny ability to predict when a patient's time is nearing, Dosa, ever the scientist, remains skeptical. Slowly, he starts to concede that there may be something special about Oscar....Dosa discovers how powerfully Oscar's mere presence reassures frightened or grieving family. Ultimately, the good doctor realizes that it doesn't matter where Oscar's gift comes from; it's the comfort he brings that's important. This touching and engaging book is a must-read for more than just cat lovers; anyone who enjoys a well-written and compelling story will find much to admire in its unlikely hero.
"A geriatrician with a strong aversion to cats"? He's lucky Oscar doesn't feel the same about geriatricians. I wonder how long it will be before Oscar has his own Lifetime movie.
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