Oscar The Cat Keeps Coming Back To Comfort Patients At A Hospice In Halifax

A friendly gray cat named Oscar started showing up at Gerrior’s door at Hospice Halifax this summer. The home in the south end of the city provides end-of-life care for people living with a terminal illness. “The cat was coming to the patio door looking at Tom’s room in the last week of his life, so it gave him a lot. It helped him a lot,” his sister Evelyn Oakley told CBC Radio’s Information Morning Nova Scotia. Being an animal lover, Gerrior had some treats on hand for the therapy dogs that visited the residence. He asked his sister to make a special trip to the store to pick up some cat treats just for Oscar. Neither the patients nor the staff knew where Oscar came from or why he arrived. One day, a staff member decided to put a little note on his collar. It read something like this: “Your cat is visiting our residence here at the shelter and we don’t know if he’s going to come home. We just want to let you know where he’s going and where he might be if you’re looking for him,” Oakley said. Staff at Hospice Halifax say Oscar brings patients a lot of joy and comfort. (Submitted by Halifax Hospice) Oscar’s owner, Ann Mann of Halifax, took the note and dropped by with some flowers, cat treats and a note of her own. “They were so excited to see me and they were like, ‘Oh my God, Oscar is like a celebrity over here,’” Mann said.

“He makes all patients happy”

Some of Oscar’s first visits were to a group of patients known as the “garden crew,” Mills said. “We have a lovely garden outside so everyone had to go and hang out in the garden and Oscar started coming over.” Mills said Oscar seemed particularly fond of Guerrior, who was a big music fan and referred to Oscar as Cat Stevens or Smokey Robinson, for his smoky gray fur coat. Information Morning – NS6:39Oscar the cat A touching story about a friendly feline who is a regular visitor to Hospice Halifax, bringing some joy to the residents there. Oscar usually goes to someone in the shelter, falls on their belly and waits for some treats and a pet. “She makes all the patients happy. Even people who couldn’t get out would try to get the cat to come visit her, and she’d come in and say hello and then be on her way,” Mills said. Oakley said Oscar brought her brother a lot of comfort in his final days. Gerrior spent six months at Hospice Halifax. He died in June. “I felt like it was some kind of sign because it’s really weird,” he said. “He just showed up almost every day.” The organization regularly brings other therapy pets to visit with patients and their family members. “Even the therapy dogs that come in, they can sense when someone just needs to relax or if someone is excited and I think Oscar is no different,” Mills said. “He kind of goes to the people who need him the most at that time.”

Oscar’s near-death experience

Mann’s daughter, Kirsten, brought Oscar in from the Nova Scotia SPCA when he was just a kitten. He said Oscar quickly became an outdoorsman and had a near-death experience when he was hit by a car three years ago. Mann said that after the incident, Oscar, who was a typical cat, completely changed. “He’s become a little bit more charismatic and just a little more cuddly and he almost seems like he takes each day for what it is. He always looks both ways before he crosses the street,” Mann said. She said he has since become the neighborhood cat and people recognize him when he visits. Mann said that after learning that Oscar lifts the mood, she and Kirsten worry less when he doesn’t come home for a while.
“We think he’s a very effective therapy cat and he’s doing his good deed,” Mann said. “Every now and then she [Kirsten] he hears from the guest house that Oscar is back there or Oscar is in the garden again or Oscar is in somebody’s window,” Mann said. “Read what you want into that, but his near-death experience I think changed him and now he’s helping other people who are, you know, near death. So I think that’s really cool.”

title: “Oscar The Cat Keeps Coming Back To Comfort Patients At A Hospice In Halifax " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-16” author: “George Frost”

A friendly gray cat named Oscar started showing up at Gerrior’s door at Hospice Halifax this summer. The home in the south end of the city provides end-of-life care for people living with a terminal illness. “The cat was coming to the patio door looking at Tom’s room in the last week of his life, so it gave him a lot. It helped him a lot,” his sister Evelyn Oakley told CBC Radio’s Information Morning Nova Scotia. Being an animal lover, Gerrior had some treats on hand for the therapy dogs that visited the residence. He asked his sister to make a special trip to the store to pick up some cat treats just for Oscar. Neither the patients nor the staff knew where Oscar came from or why he arrived. One day, a staff member decided to put a little note on his collar. It read something like this: “Your cat is visiting our residence here at the shelter and we don’t know if he’s going to come home. We just want to let you know where he’s going and where he might be if you’re looking for him,” Oakley said. Staff at Hospice Halifax say Oscar brings patients a lot of joy and comfort. (Submitted by Halifax Hospice) Oscar’s owner, Ann Mann of Halifax, took the note and dropped by with some flowers, cat treats and a note of her own. “They were so excited to see me and they were like, ‘Oh my God, Oscar is like a celebrity over here,’” Mann said.

“He makes all patients happy”

Some of Oscar’s first visits were to a group of patients known as the “garden crew,” Mills said. “We have a lovely garden outside so everyone had to go and hang out in the garden and Oscar started coming over.” Mills said Oscar seemed particularly fond of Guerrior, who was a big music fan and referred to Oscar as Cat Stevens or Smokey Robinson, for his smoky gray fur coat. Information Morning – NS6:39Oscar the cat A touching story about a friendly feline who is a regular visitor to Hospice Halifax, bringing some joy to the residents there. Oscar usually goes to someone in the shelter, falls on their belly and waits for some treats and a pet. “She makes all the patients happy. Even people who couldn’t get out would try to get the cat to come visit her, and she’d come in and say hello and then be on her way,” Mills said. Oakley said Oscar brought her brother a lot of comfort in his final days. Gerrior spent six months at Hospice Halifax. He died in June. “I felt like it was some kind of sign because it’s really weird,” he said. “He just showed up almost every day.” The organization regularly brings other therapy pets to visit with patients and their family members. “Even the therapy dogs that come in, they can sense when someone just needs to relax or if someone is excited and I think Oscar is no different,” Mills said. “He kind of goes to the people who need him the most at that time.”

Oscar’s near-death experience

Mann’s daughter, Kirsten, brought Oscar in from the Nova Scotia SPCA when he was just a kitten. He said Oscar quickly became an outdoorsman and had a near-death experience when he was hit by a car three years ago. Mann said that after the incident, Oscar, who was a typical cat, completely changed. “He’s become a little bit more charismatic and just a little more cuddly and he almost seems like he takes each day for what it is. He always looks both ways before he crosses the street,” Mann said. She said he has since become the neighborhood cat and people recognize him when he visits. Mann said that after learning that Oscar lifts the mood, she and Kirsten worry less when he doesn’t come home for a while.
“We think he’s a very effective therapy cat and he’s doing his good deed,” Mann said. “Every now and then she [Kirsten] he hears from the guest house that Oscar is back there or Oscar is in the garden again or Oscar is in somebody’s window,” Mann said. “Read what you want into that, but his near-death experience I think changed him and now he’s helping other people who are, you know, near death. So I think that’s really cool.”