The Feline of Death or Memento Meowii

I've seen this story about Oscar the Cat, who's managed to ring up an impressive record for spotting terminal patients at a Providence, R.I., nursing home, floating about AlGore's interwebs the past few days, but I just have to repeat the Speculist's comment on it:

Yeah, poignant. Not to go all Occam's Razor or anything, but has it occurred to anyone to ask whether this cat might be somehow killing these people?

Friends, I can see it all as clearly as if I were standing there myself: claw-punctures in the saline-feed, hairballs clogging up the tracheotomy tubes, the EKG readings completely out of whack because the damned animal is sitting on the leads and purring.....and let's not forget the power of suggestion, as when Oscar stares these poor, weakened folks in the face with a look that says "I want that bed for my nap, you cretin. Why don't you just give it all up right now."

I suppose I'm willing to accept (simply for lack of proof) that Oscar isn't murdering the poor blighters outright, but that doesn't really cause me to warm up much to him. If this had been a story about a dog, I would have assumed that his purpose in seeking out those about to die was to provide them comfort and sympathy. I'd be willing to bet that ol' Oscar does it just to gloat.

UPDATE: Just received the following in the Tasty Bits (TM) Mail Sack:

To: Robbo Llama

From: cats.orglemanor@cox.com

U left ur computer on thismorning an we just red yur post on Brother Oscar. You sunnuvabitch. Think we cant doo the same thing to yoo?

Also, weer out of milk agin. Get sum on the way hom.

Yurs,

The Cats