Oscar the Cat: Forecaster of Death or Serial Killer?

Fox News recently ran a story about a cat that lives at a nursing home in Providence, RI. This cat has the ability to "predict" when patients are about to die. Here is an excerpt of the story:

"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 Dr. David Dosa in an interview.

The 2-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."

Frankly, I am appalled at the incompetence of the nurses and doctors at this nursing home. Which of the following is more likely?

1) This cat is able to sense when people are about to die.

2) This is an evil cat. He knows when patients are about to die because he is the one killing them.

I think the answer is pretty obvious.

My guess is the first time Oscar the Cat (if that is his real name) killed someone, it was a crime of passion. However, after the first kill he became hooked. He kept waiting for the doctors or nurses to put an end to his kitty killing spree and call the police, but they never did. Instead they began to praise him for his amazing predictions. He became a celebrity, and his celebrity status made future killings all the more easy.

It reminds me of the 1980s television show Murder She Wrote that starred Angela Lansbury. Every episode she would go somewhere and a murder would happen. She would then conveniently solve the murder. Why didn't anyone put two and two together and realize this woman was a serial killer who was pinning her crimes on innocent people?