Cats

From apophenia.

A lot of media reported a weird article published by the New England Journal of Medicine which tells the story of Oscar, a cat who lives in an elderly hospice and is used to sitting down at somebody’s bed only when the person is about to die. The story circled the globe, and may also be read on CNN: “His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means the patient has less than four hours to live.” The families of the patients are quite puzzled, and some times, annoyed by this.

Certainly chilly.  However, Mental Floss has published a “predictable” series of fun(ny) “art” inspired by Oscar…

Oscar may not be alone. The Globe and Mail (Canada’s top newspaper) reported that “a cat called Mutchka resided on the Alzheimer’s wing [of a nursing-home]. She could predict the passing of a patient in much the same way as Oscar”.

About Antonio Vantaggiato

Professor, web2.0 enthusiast, and didactic chef.
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