Making Rounds With Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat

David Dosa. New York, NY: Hyperion; 2010. Hardcover; 222 pages; $23.99. ISBN: 978-1-4013-2323-3

Making Rounds With Oscar was written by a physician specializing in geriatrics; the story of Oscar is based on real-life events and situations that occurred in Dr Dosa’s practice. The setting for the story is Steere House, a nursing and rehabilitation center that cares for patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease on the third floor. In order to maintain a homelike atmosphere, Steere House has adopted rabbits, birds, and 6 cats; Oscar is one of these cats. One day Dr Dosa notes that Oscar had seemed to “know” that a certain patient was dying; he had curled up on the bed for the last few hours of the patient’s life. When asking the staff about this incident, Dr Dosa finds that this is consistent behavior for Oscar. The staff suggested he talk with families of previous patients...