I enjoyed Making Rounds with Oscar, although I have to admit, first and foremost, that I did not find his ability to sense which dementia patients were going to be the next to die was terribly extraordinary. This is not because I don't believe that Oscar could sense that -- but because I know from experience that animals have a way of sensing things that we humans sometimes suck at sensing. For example, my cat is amazing at knowing when I'm upset, or when I need to cuddle with him, or when I want a laugh. Growing up, my dogs were wonderful at coming and comforting me when I was sad, or being willing to cuddle with me when I was lonely.

So I guess for me, Dosa's book was more a story of his own turn-around from being unsure if animals really had a place in Steere House, aside from making it seem more "homey," to believing that Oscar truly could sense a patient's impending death. And also, the value in that -- not just the fact that Oscar was there to "accompany" the dying patient to the other side, but also the fact that he provided comfort and companionship in those very hard hours for the patient's caregivers.

I wouldn't say that Dosa's writing is stunning -- it is more of a conversation between him and his readers -- but I liked the comfortable, easy-going language that Dosa used to talk about his patients. The respect he held as a very young geriatician for his patients was wonderful to read also, just in the way he discussed their lives and their deaths.

Definitely recommend for any animal lover who wants to meet an endearing cat (and no, Oscar doesn't die at the end, which makes this an even better book in my opinion!!~ since so many books about animals end with their deaths). :)