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A Mary T. Hoffman Commentary from All-Creatures.org

 

"Joyful Curmudgeon" An oxymoron?
No! I see all the beauty of God's creation and I'm joyful.  At the same time, I see all the suffering and corruption going on in the world, and feel called to help expose and end it so that we may have true peace and compassion.

 


Oscar the Cat on CNN – 28 July 2007
By Mary T. Hoffman

It is well known that animals have abilities that puzzle many humans. For example, we know that because dogs have a keen sense of smell they are routinely used in police work. We also know of the loving companionship that we can have with companion animals. There are even some cats and dogs who are able to sense cancer in humans.

For the past couple of days, CNN has featured Oscar, a cat who lives in a Rhode Island nursing home. Because of his ability to sense those who are about to die, Oscar was featured in an article in the New England Journal of Medicine. Doctors say that they are not able to determine when a patient will die as well as some non-human animals can.

In the short time allotted on the program, a psychologist from the ASPCA did a good job explaining as much as is known about special abilities of companion animals. However, I found it disturbing that the woman reporter conducting the interview showed unmistakable bias against Oscar the cat. Her remarks and body language are appropriate for someone in the dark ages or witch hunting days. Such words as “grim” and “creepy” and negative facial grimaces are uncalled for. The program ended with her male counterpart, a pleasant fellow, teasing her about what he would give her for her birthday, which brought out more negativity from her.

A wall plaque in the nursing home publicly commends Oscar for his "compassionate hospice care.” His curling up next to dying patients has brought comfort to family members who are notified in time so that they can spend a few last moments with their loved ones.

Go on to: Best Friends – 29 July 2007
Return to: Reform the March of Dimes – 27 July 2007
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