Oscar: The Death Predicting Cat: The Movie

A couple weeks ago, Times Union reporter Cathleen Crowley wrote about an impending visit from Dr. David Dosa, a Medical Doctor who had written a book about a peculiar feline.

Oscar resides at a nursing home in Rhode Island and has an eerie gift: he knows when people are about to die. To date, he has accurately predicted the deaths of some fifty plus patients at the home.

The cat was brought in from a local shelter to give company to the employees and residents of the end-stage dementia unit of the nursing home. At first, he was skiddish and avoided people. Then, one day, Oscar decided to warm up to a few residents, but with one caveat: those he went to visit usually died within hours.

In the article, Dosa sayst the families seem to enjoy the cat, and most of the time the patients are too far gone to even know the cat’s there. And thank God for that! Can you imagine laying in bed and the Kitten Reaper starts cuddling up to you?

Now comes news that Oscar is getting his own film based on Dosa’s book. No doubt the film will attempt be a feel-good exploration of family and coming to grips with a loved one’s passing.

Well, at least in the early going.

As anybody who’s worked in Hollywood can tell you, these sort of things can go off the rails pretty quickly. Some executive thinks it’s too much like “Marley & Me” even though it’s about a cat in a nursing home instead of a guy’s dog and despite the fact the executive never actually saw “Marly & Me.” He did, however see how well those “Saw” movies are doing, and before you know it “Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat” becomes something completely different.

…actually, that’s not a bad idea. Kid, listen, this idea is money. Let’s do this! People are gonna go kitty litter for this! That’s right, kitty litter! I’m making up a new phrase I’m so excited about the possibilities!

Sorry, went into movie exec mode.