Cat with the Purr of Death - Scary or Comforting?

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1.  

   Loves Bloc Party ~ 15 months ago

   0 votes
   
   i was reading about this cat on cnn a few hours earlier!
   
   perhaps oscar is one of those animals that has a special ability to sense when humans are near the end of their lives.
   
   very cool cat indeed.
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2.  

   Loves Bloc Party ~ 15 months ago

   0 votes
   
   maybe he senses the fact they are nearing death because he cares?
   
   i know some find that silly, but ive had pets, and no one can tell me my maltese sweetie wasn't attached to me :)
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3.  

   clemmati ~ 15 months ago

   0 votes
   
   Oh yes true, japaneseboats, there may well be non-deaths we don't know about! I didn't think of that.
   
   An animal behaviourist was rather scornful about this, saying cats weren't social animals, but I've known cats who certainly were aware of people's emotions and would comfort them (admittedly, I've only known a couple!).
   
   
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   1.  

      japaneseboats ~ 15 months ago

      0 votes
      
      Weird that the animal behaviourist said cats aren't 'social animals' when they clearly love being around humans and in my experience will come and lie or snooze near you whenever you sit down and especially if you're working at a desk - love to sit on paperwork etc. But perhaps he/she meant that they are not pack animals like dogs. My own experience of a cat's empathy was once when I felt very ill when cat-sitting for my daughter, and her cat - normally not particularly friendly towards me, came and lay beside me on the bed. I wasn't mortally ill, but it was very comforting.
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      1.  

         clemmati ~ 15 months ago

         0 votes
         
         I thought it was weird too. It's here -- he says cats are 'solitary and selfish'
         
         http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6919063.stm
         
         perhaps he's known the wrong cats? it's true they're a little self-centred but, I agree, they're friendly animals.
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4.  

   wyldcat ~ 15 months ago

   0 votes
   
   Dogs have been known to sniff out cancer, so why would people think that cats wouldn't be able to sense their own things?
   
   http://www.cbsnews.com/st...0minutes/main665263.shtml
   
   Look how many animals reportedly start acting very strange about 15 minutes before an earthquake in California.
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5.  

   veddam ~ 15 months ago

   0 votes
   
   "just saying "25" - so no real indication of whether it could just be coincidence"
   
   25 in 2 years is a pretty good record, plus when the cat is locked out of the room he complains and fusses to get back in so the cat must be able to tell somehow. I think this is a great story.
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   1.  

      clemmati ~ 15 months ago

      0 votes
      
      It's a lovely story and he's a lovely-looking cat.
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6.  

   Michael ~ 15 months ago

   0 votes
   
   Looks like the old superstition about cats stealing the breath of babies was wrong. It's our sick people we should be worried about! :P
   
   Seriously though, it's a sweet story. It reminded of the time I was visiting a neighbor and became ill, then went home to rest. Left my window open at night for fresh air, and woke up to find my neighbor's cat sleeping with me. He'd never come in before, and only left my side a few minutes over the next few days while I recovered. Once I was all better he went home. Hopefully he didn't feel he wasted his time since I didn't die. :D
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7.  

   earsz ~ 15 months ago

   0 votes
   
   I just read about this cat. It kinda stalks the halls _ I thought it was fog that crept in on kitten feet, not Death.
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8.  

   vadagh ~ 15 months ago

   0 votes
   
   I saw this on CBS news(repeated over here at 2am) last night, spooky!
   But cats are supposed to be aren't they, witches familiar and all that. Perhaps it can just feel when the reaper is stalking the halls.
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9.  

   Tequila Rose ~ 15 months ago

   0 votes
   
   My boys (cats) always are very attentive when I'm sick and not feeling well.. they calm down- follow me closely .. and lay on me constantly or near me-
   
   9 lives.. 6 senses- what is not to love about a cat- and they are incredibly social animals i've always found
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10.  

    snak ~ 15 months ago

    0 votes
    
    I have known many cats over the years - some 'mine', some 'belonging' to others. I have drawn the following conclusions:
    
    1. A cat will happily pretend to love you if it thinks you might feed it, groom it, or otherwise show it some attention.
    2. A cat will pretend to love you if you let it snuggle up to steal your body heat
    3. A cat will put up with being pulled about by kids, if it knows you'll feed it eventually
    4. A cat will happily trip you up in the kitchen by weaving between your legs if it thinks you'll drop food when you fall
    
    You may think I hate cats. I don't. I admire cats. Cats are at the peak of evolution, having no natural predaters they cannot outrun, outscratch or beat to the food. I admire their aloofness, their arrogance, their self-reliance and, most of all, the skill with which they've conned human beings into giving them a decent living for nearly 6,000 years.
    
    
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11.  

    AdGuy

    22 votes
    
    This is my two cents...
    
       
    Hey you know AdGuy always gets the last word! ;)