Therapy/Service Animals/Dosa’s Growing Appreciation of Oscar

Through Oscar the cat's compassionate behavior to comfort nursing home residents and their families and Oscar's ability to sense impending death, Dosa explores pets as therapy and service companions. Dosa is skeptical of Oscar’s abilities when Mary first tells him the cat has been predicting deaths. He does not like cats because he had a bad experience with one when he was a child. Family members share with Dosa the stories of how Oscar comforted them as their loved ones died, helping him understand how important Oscar’s role was. Even though Dosa was never able to explain Oscar’s ability to sense death, he learned to appreciate and pay attention to the cat’s special abilities.

Dosa does not think much of Oscar or his purported abilities when Mary first draws the cat to his attention. Dosa is...