One of the most well-known diagnosticians at Providence Mount St. Vincent never went to medical school. The West Seattle nursing home is the residence of Buckwheat, a cat that apparently has the ability to predict patients' deaths.

The Mount adopted the 10-year-old tabby cat three years ago, after his original owner died. Buckwheat then made his home in 5 North, among hospice patients in the facility.

"He is very sociable and visits residents on the unit and follows staff around as they do their jobs," said John Caster, a medical social worker employed by Providence Hospice of Seattle. "When residents are getting close to dying he starts to hang around their room, goes in, and even gets up on their bed."

Over the past six months, Buckwheat has actively predicted seven deaths, says Nurse Rowena Robinson.

"Our most recent patient passed away a couple of weeks ago," Robinson said. "He got sick on a Thursday and that following Friday Buckwheat was there. We call him our angel cat."

Staff noticed Buckwheat's behavior when he first moved to the unit. Over the years, the staff started taking note of his accurate predictions, Robinson said. In a few cases, he has predicted a patient's serious illness before doctors discovered it.

"There have been one or two occasions when we noticed someone was sick and said why is Buckwheat hanging around them," Robinson said. "Then a few days later they are in the active stage of dying."

Patients and their families are generally fond of Buckwheat, in spite of the ominous implication of his visits.

"Most residents and their families love him, as do most staff," Caster said. "He will even visit a dying resident that was not necessarily a person who liked him. If the family doesn't want the cat in the resident's room that is dying, he will sit or lie outside the closed door."

Several cats reside in Providence Mount St. Vincent in order to giving the facility a homey atmosphere. Caster said he has observed this vigilant behavior in other cats there. Staff are not certain why Buckwheat and other cats display this tendency.

"I don't know if it's a smell he can pick up on, because there are certain smells people have in their dying stages, or if it's the way the mood changes," Robinson said. "We're not 100 percent sure how this happens, but it happens. He knows when someone's dying."

Kat Lewin may be reached at katl@robinsonnews.com