Ghost Cat

A cat found and adopted on one Halloween turns out to be a very strange cat indeed -- it might have been a ghost

I had all but forgotten this certain incident until I stumbled across your Vanishing Cat story. A few years back when I was around 20-23 I had a small apartment all to myself with my white and brown cat, who was named Biscuit. I did not have a car at this time and rode my 10-speed bicycle everywhere, which was convenient since I lived in a small down a bit north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

One Halloween night as I was cycling home from a friend's house, a shadow caught my eye as it leapt in front of me on the small country road. I stopped my bike and to my surprise I saw a small black kitten timidly mewing in a small ditch. I ran over and gathered her up in my arms, quickly decided to take her home and put her in my pouch I was carrying around my waist. Once I got home, I introduced her to Biscuit, and to my dismay he didn't take too kindly to her at all.

He spit and hissed and would always cower in a corner far away from the kitten. Despite this, I wanted to keep her and named her Cheddar.

Cheddar stayed with us a few months and began gaining weight and growing big and healthy. One day I decided to take my camera out and take some snapshots of Biscuit and Cheddar together -- that is, if I could get them in the same room. It wasn't an easy task, but I managed to get at least two pictures of them together. A month or so later, Cheddar began acting very strangely. She would mew and claw at the window screens and door as if she urgently needed to get out. Figuring she needed her space since she originally was an outdoor cat, I let her go, hoping one day she would return to me. Unfortunately, she never did.

However, I remembered the film in my camera needed to be developed, so I at least would have some pictures of her. I dropped off the film and came back for it after a week. As I was sifting through my pictures, I realized there was absolutely none of Cheddar! Biscuit appeared in all the pictures he was supposed to, but no Cheddar. I studied the pictures, gave them to friends to study and even asked the film crew at the store if there had been some sort of mistake. The negatives didn't even hold any clues. She simply was not there. Whatever happened to my Halloween kitten? I wish I knew.

Accounts of animal ghosts have existed for a very long time. Their ghost stories go back thousands of years, and their sightings might take place anywhere.

For example, during travel, ghosts of animals have been reported by passers by, such as the account of a ghostly canine that snarls at travelers on certain roads in the State of Maryland. However, most animal ghosts seem to be witnessed after recently passing, still visiting their beloved human companions.

Animal Ghosts Seen After Their Death

There are ghost stories about various types of pet animals, especially cats, dogs, and horses being seen after their death. Animal ghosts seem to visit where they formerly lived, and may stay for a minimal period of time or longer. Many owners have reported not only seeing their ghost animal but also smelling, hearing and even feeling them through touch. These ghost animals seem to continue their routine developed while pets, such as sleeping on a bed, heading to a food dish, or interacting with other animals still alive and remaining in the household.

Often, after the death of the physical body, animals may choose to remain around their human friends as well as other animal friends. If this happens, it seems to be for a season.The spirits of animals often move-on after saying goodbye in their own unique way. Upon a pet's passing, pet owners should be alerted to signs of the animal being with them in spirit. Maybe familiar sounds associated with the pet could be heard or a visible presence sighted; even an imprint or indentation upon a bed where the animal formerly slept might be noticed. Pay particular attention to the times and places where you daily interacted with the animal, such as during feeding times. Perhaps your pet is still undergoing his or her routine with you. This is also a good time to take photographs as anomalies such as whisps of spirit, orbs, shadows, and even apparitions of the animal might be captured by the camera. Photographs should also be taken around other animals and house members, as it is commonplace for remaining pets and family to be visited by recently deceased pets.

Do Animals Have Souls?

Due to traditional religious teachings that incorrectly instruct that only humans have souls, many are unaware that animals have spirits (souls), just like people, and can interact or be seen as ghostly animals if glimpsed in spirit. Ghosts of pets seem to be the most common animal ghosts seen, and this could be because of the strong bonds and emotional ties that were created, causing them to remain around awhile. However, detection of animal ghosts may be more noticable to one who is grieving and looking for signs of a ghostly visit from their furry or feathered friend. It could be the real ghost that is sighted or a 'ghost of grief' - something created by the grieving mind to help cope. Perhaps our attachment to the animal holds it here for a short time due to its concern for our emotional trauma; but maybe this also creates the perfect opportunity, for the person who knows what to specifically listen and look for, to detect an animal ghost.

Some good questions have been posed by others about seeing animal ghosts, such as: Could we somehow possibly create the animal ghost as a phantom through our emotional ties to it while alive? Could our desires to see our beloved pets once again cause us to see them after they have passed? One gentleman wonders why we only typically hear of animal ghost accounts of domesticated animals and pets but rarely do we ever hear accounts of people seeing the ghosts of wild animals or even insects? Good questions to ponder. We do know that some psychics claim to be able to see the ghosts of animals, both wild and domestic, on the other side of the veil and can even make contact with them. And Native Americans and other tribal cultures teach of shape-shifting animal spirits that protect humans, known as totems. These typically are wild animals and not domesticated species.

Notable Sightings of Animals in Spirit

Animal ghosts have been witnessed on former fields of battle. In Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, a horse carrying its rider appeared in misty form before some shocked observers. They thought the horse and rider were real, but the human as well as animal ghost disappeared right before their eyes.

The Pony Express hasn't carried mail across the United States since the mid-1800's, but the Hollenberg Station in Kansas is known for ghostly horse hooves still galloping by. This is not the only report of animal ghosts being heard. A cliff in Texas was a sight where cattle stampeded over it unto their death in the latter 1880's. Today, this same sight in Texas is known as Stampede Mesa, where the hooves of unseen animals can still be heard stampeding.

Dogs have been known to keep pretty good watch over people, and some have even been heard while ghosts, still growling threats to those who come too near. One such account is of a Bull Terrier named Sallie who was a Union Army mascot at Gettysburg. Many believe they still hear her growl, as she keeps watch over fallen soldiers. In another story about animal ghosts, the famous Tower of London formerly housed exotic, wild animals. A guard in 1815 reported seeing a bear walk through a doorway. Spooked, the man attempted to use his bayonet on the creature, but the blade passed right through the ghost bear!

Even the United States Capitol building today is said to be haunted by the ghost of a cat. It has been described as having glowing eyes, and emerges out of the shadows to unsuspecting people. Legend has it that the ghost cat appears before major national disasters. The cat's name is D.C. and was seen before the stock market crash of 1929, and the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963.

Although animal ghosts have been witnessed, what is interesting to us is how they often continue some form of routine they once learned while in physical form. For example, ghosts of horses have been seen throwing their riders; some animal ghosts have been seen re-living tragedies most likely tied to their deaths. Shadowy images of animals crossing roads have been seen at night; and ghost cats have been heard purring and sleeping on beds, leaving their impression on the bed covers.