This is why I've come to appreciate cats.

Oscar may be a grouch, but he's also a good predictor of death amongst his hospice patients and offers them and their families comfort in the final hours. Apparently he knows within a couple of hours when a patient is going to pass on and curls up beside them. This was my favorite part of the article:

Most families are grateful for the advanced warning, although one wanted Oscar out of the room while a family member died. When Oscar is put outside, he paces and meows his displeasure.

Good little Oscar. I remember when my Nana was in her last assisted living one of the residents had a cat. My Nana pretended she wasn't a sucker for animals even though she'd feed them and pet them when no one was looking. But when the hospital bed arrived, the cat came in the room all the time and it was a comfort to me. Secretly, I think the cat and my Nana were close friends and the cat was distraught. She probably fed her and talked to her when no one was looking, and unlike so many others, didn't try and pick her up or control her. And the cat was sad that she was leaving...just as I was.

Dogs are great companions, but they have nothing on the psychic and emotional connection of cats.