English Original
When Oscar the Cat visits residents of the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Rhode Island, the staff jump into action. Oscar can sense within hours when someone is about to die.
In his two years living in Steere's end-stage dementia unit, Oscar has been at the bedside of more than 25 residents shortly before they died, according to Dr. David Dosa of Brown University.
"It's not that the cat is consistently there first," said Dr. Joan Teno, a professor at Brown University. "But the cat always does manage to make an appearance, and it always seems to be in the last two hours."
Raised at the nursing home since he was a kitten, Oscar often checks in on residents. However, when he curls up for a visit, physicians and staff know it's time to call the family.
"I don't think this is a psychic cat," said Teno. "I think there's probably a biochemical explanation."
While pets are often used to bring comfort to the elderly, Oscar's talent is special. "That is such a cat thing to do," said Thomas Graves, a feline expert at the University of Illinois.
Graves said there is no scientific evidence to suggest cats can sense death, but he doesn't discount the possibility. "Those things are hard to study. I think probably dogs and cats can sense things we can't," he said.
On a particular day detailed by Dr. Dosa, Oscar settled onto the bed of a patient. His presence prompted staff to make calls and set up a vigil. When a grandson asked why the cat was there, his mother explained, "He is here to help Grandma get to heaven." The patient died half an hour later.
中文翻译
当猫咪奥斯卡造访罗德岛州斯蒂尔康复疗养中心的住户时，工作人员会立刻行动起来。因为奥斯卡能在某人去世前的几小时内感知到死亡。
据布朗大学的戴维·多萨博士所述，在斯蒂尔疗养院晚期痴呆病房生活的两年里，奥斯卡已在超过25位住户临终前陪伴在侧。
布朗大学教授琼·特诺博士说：“并不是说这只猫总是第一个到场，但它总能设法出现，而且似乎总是在最后两小时内出现。”
奥斯卡自小在疗养院长大，经常巡视住户。然而，当它蜷缩着陪伴某位住户时，医生和工作人员就知道该通知家属了。
“我不认为这是一只通灵的猫，”特诺说，“我认为很可能存在一种生物化学上的解释。”
虽然宠物常被用来给疗养院的老人带来慰藉，但奥斯卡的天赋是独特的。伊利诺伊大学的猫咪专家托马斯·格雷夫斯说：“这确实是猫会做的事。”
格雷夫斯表示，没有科学证据表明猫能感知死亡，但他并不完全否定这种可能性。“这些事情很难研究。我认为狗和猫或许能感知到我们无法感知的东西。”
根据多萨博士描述的一个具体日子，奥斯卡躺在了一位病人的床上。它的出现促使工作人员开始打电话并安排守夜。当一个孙子问猫为什么在那里时，他的母亲解释道：“它是来帮助奶奶去天堂的。”半小时后，那位病人去世了。