Last rites.
This short article in the New England Journal of Medicine about Oscar the "death cat" is terrific. I wonder though: what's Oscar's motivation? I always assumed it was logical for herd or pack animals to drive sick or dying comrades away to protect the integrity of the rest. Against that, there are plenty of stories of dogs keeping vigil by the beds of sick, or even by the graves of dead, owners. But that's also basically the reaction of a social animal who needs the other members of his pack to survive and feel safe. What motivates a cat to seek out and snuggle up to human strangers in their final hours?
1 Comments:
I think cats are NOT pack animals and bond to humans who feed them as their "mothers." This cat was raised in a hospice, with lots of mothers and lots of dying humans. The cats I have had have all been attracted to suffering and crying, licking my babies' heads when they were in distress, curling up with me why I've been sick. Today is also the one week anniversary of my new blog. Come visit.
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