Summary

In Chapter 1, author David Dosa is a geriatrician who works on the third floor of Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a floor dedicated to Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.

Dosa writes that Mary Miranda, the day shift nurse, was the one who drew his attention to Oscar and his unusual contributions to the patients on the third floor. Mary introduced Dosa to Oscar by taking him to the room where Lilia Davis, who had colon cancer and was on hospice care, was dying. Dosa focused on the patient, but Mary told him it was the black-and-white cat lying on the bed she wanted him to see. Mary pointed out that Oscar did not usually hang out with patients. Dosa surmised Oscar was just there because Lilia would not bother him. Dosa thought he had heard everything when Mary told him that Oscar...