Oscar ain't the first

I doubt that Oscar the cat is the first one to have proven he knows when elderly nursing home residents are about to die. In fact, the last cat we had at work (prior to the one we have now) reportedly exhibited exactly the same behaviour. In the last hours of the person's life, he would come into the ward and sleep next to the dying resident on their bed. This provided peace of mind to the nurses (who cannot always stay at the bedside of the dying) to know that none of the residents would die alone.

Now, of course, everybody is asking how the cats know with such accuracy when a person is going to die. Do they recognise some smell or substance that is released in the hours prior to death? Or perhaps a change in the resident's activity? Secondly, what explains the behaviour of the cat? Does it really sense that the dying need company, or is it motivated by its own needs, such as warmth?

In any case, this is a really strange phenomenon, and I'll be interested to see what scientists come up with to explain it. All in all, it probably suggests that cats are more deserving of the title "man's best friend".