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Ghost Cats and Haunted Houses

Stacy Mantle

We’ve compiled a few of our most favorite animal ghost stories to delight you. Don’t worry – they aren’t too scary…

Take a look inside this guide filled with spooky tales of animal hauntings and ghost stories about cats who have more than nine lives.

The world is filled with ghost stories, but the Fairport Harbor Lighthouse still shines bright in the realm of ghost cats and haunted spirits.

The Fairport Harbor Lighthouse

Many locales have ghost stories, but the Fairport Harbor Lighthouse in Fairport Harbor, Ohio has one of the spookiest tales.

In 1871, Mary Babcock lived with her husband, Captain Joseph Babcock in the Fairport Harbor lighthouse. The life of a lighthouse keeper was not easy, and the family tragically lost their five-year-old son to disease.

Shortly after, Mary became bedridden so her husband brought her cats to keep her company. Her favorite, an old gray cat called “Sentinel”, slept by her side until the end. After she died, the other cats left the lighthouse, but not Sentinel – he stayed at his home until his own mysterious death.

Years later, a curator began living upstairs in Mary’s former quarters. She reported numerous sightings of a mysterious gray cat. “It would skitter across the floor near the kitchen like it was playing,” curator Pam Brent reported. “I would catch glimpses of it from time to time. Then one evening I felt its presence when it jumped on the bed. I felt its weight pressing on me.”

Interestingly enough, while installing an air conditioning system, contractors discovered the remains of a gray cat lying on its side in a basement crawl space…

The lighthouse was featured in a biography channel series, My Ghost Story, after a couple visited the lighthouse and encountered sobbing, touching, shadow people, and the sounds of cat meows.

Does the ghost of the gray cat still haunt the halls of the Fairport Harbor Lighthouse?

The Davenport Home

More ghost spirits – this one in the deep south.

The deep South is reportedly the most haunted of area of America, none so much as Savannah, Georgia. So it’s little wonder that ghost cats would appear. The Davenport House in Columbia Square, built in 1820, is one such locale.

It’s reported that many spirits haunt the home, including a mysterious black cat. Visitors are greeted by the ghostly feline as it sits regally in a window, and often catch glimpses of a dark shadow darting through the halls between rooms.

Its federal-style architecture, built by the famed (but very mysterious) New Englander Isaiah Davenport, makes the perfect backdrop for a cat haunting.

The back story of the cat is not really kown. What we do know is that in the early 1800s, Isaiah married Miss Sarah Rosamund Clark and together they had 10 children, but only six of them survived into adulthood.

After Isaiah died at the young age of 47, his wife sold the home to the Baynard family, who turned it into a boarding house. No one seems to know where the black cat came from or who she belongs to, but we can assume that at least one of the children likely had a cat they loved very much.

What do you think – does the ghost of a black cat still haunt the halls of the Davenport Home?

DC – The Nation’s Demon Cat

Our Nation’s capitol is rife with legends and lore. Demon Cat (D.C. for short) is one more story in a long line of stories.

Cats have had jobs in Washington for as long as it’s had politicians. Often, cats were brought into tunnels of the capitol buildings to act as official pest control.

DC is one cat who never left. Its home is reportedly the basement crypt of the capitol, intended as a burial chamber for President George Washington. Demon Cat is now often seen before important elections and critical events that impact history. For instance, security guards reported seeing this mysterious black cat in the nights before the assassination of both Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy.

Some witnesses describe the cat becoming “the size of a giant tiger” [Source: Sheila Edmundson (October 30, 1999). “Halloween: Many things go bump in the still of night in D.C.”. The Patriot Ledger.] and either exploded or pounced at the witnesses.

Sadly, the last official sighting of DC was in the 1940s. Perhaps DC realized that our nation’s capitol was too full of rats and attempts of control was futile? Or perhaps even our feline friends grew weary of politicians catting around.

We may never know…

The Ghost Cats of the Mile High Inn

The Mile High Inn (located in Jerome, Arizona) was originally built in 1899. Madam Jennie Banters (who eventually became one of the richest women in Arizona) purchased the property to use as a bordello.

Sadly, Jennie lost her life in the late 40s when the Jerome became more “civilized” and she was forced to move her business away from the main street. Eventually, the bordello became a charming inn that even today caters to tourists.

Many spirits make an appearance in this quaint inn, including a spectral feline who walks the halls and leaves footprints on the beds. The cat appears so real that guests have tried to pick up the spirit, but alas the cat disappears before they can touch it.

The cat reportedly belonged to Madam Jennie who also haunts the establishment is known for her quick temper and flying objects when things are not kept in place.

As a guest of the inn, I can verify that there is indeed something there and we were awakened by sounds of claws at the door and paw prints on the bed as a purring cat sidled close to us, but when turning on the light, there was nothing to see.

If you’re ever in Arizona, be sure to swing by this charming ghost town and stay a night at the inn – you’re sure to see spirits from days past.

The Ghost Cat of Jerome Grand Hotel

As someone who has stayed in the spooky Jerome Grand Hotel, I can personally attest to the spooky hauntings at this historical destination.

The sturdy building, built to withstand a 130-ton dynamite blast, began as a hospital in 1927 to serve those who worked in the United Verde Copper Mine.  It was considered the, “most modern and well equipped hospital in Arizona and possible the Western States.”

The 30,000 sq. ft., five level building is an architectural wonder as it was created by pouring reinforced concrete,and was constructed on a 50-degree slope perched atop Cleopatra mountain. One of the most impressive features in this building is the first Arizona Otis elevator, installed in October 1926 and still fully operational. It still provides service to all five levels of the Hotel.

The hospital eventually closed in 1950, and went unused until the 70s, when it became remodeled as a hotel and tourist attraction.

Sightings of ghosts and hauntings are commonplace, from children singing to former patients wandering the halls. Guests report a ghost cat living on the third floor that jumps onto the bed and walks around at night, perhaps absorbing the heat from guests.

Some guests who have stayed in Room 26 report a grey cat under a bed. Room 26 was at one time a room used for X-rays. While we’re not sure if this cat is as friendly as the first, we can conclude from this guest report that it probably isn’t:

“Upon arrival, all was quiet. We took pictures and we had the occasional orb or two in each picture. Further inspection of the photos revealed a grey cat under one of the beds. That is when our frightening night began. We saw it all, from dark figures standing over our beds, dark orbs, white lights, door knobs rattling and strange screams, to the occasional flicker of lights.”

Guest Entry, Jerome Hotel

The Stewards House

The Montpelier Hill home is reportedly one of the most haunted locales in Ireland.

Built in 1725, as a hunting lodge for the then Irish Speaker of the House of Commons, the Stewards House (also known as the Killakee House) is two-story abode on Montpelier Hill. Currently, it’s a private residence, despite a demonic cat that reportedly haunts the property.

Rumors abound as to how it became so haunted, and why this cat has a bone to pick with its occupants. Although if any of the legends are actually true, we can understand the feline’s anger…

When the building became a meeting place for the Irish Hell Fire Club, the place began its dark decline. Stories of drunkenness, orgies, devil worship, violence for fun and both animal and human sacrifice made the news regularly.

One of the many spirits haunting the property includes a shrieking young woman who was placed in a barrel, set afire and rolled down a hill – all in the name of “fun”.

Some say the ghost cat was created after a priest attempted to do an exorcism on the group, and a black cat who wandered into the fray.

Others say the Irish Hell Fire Club is to blame as it’s the spirit of a cat that was doused in whiskey and set afire by the group.

Either way, this poor cat likely has every right to haunt Montpelier Hill in Ireland.

Columbia House, Cape May, New Jersey

One of the best summer destinations for Northeasterners is also one of the most haunted locales. Cape May in New Jersey plays host to many spirits, including a ghost cat who loves to curl up with guests at night.

If you’re at the Columbia House, call out to Alex in the house and the mysterious spirit of a cat will cuddle you to sleep. Alex is reportedly the name of a cute cat that once belonged to owners.

Another cat reportedly haunts the John F Craig house. Visitors report feeling a cat brush against their faces in the middle of the night.

If you fancy a nighttime walk, a large black ghost dog might just join you – playing ahead (just out of reach) on Higbee Beach. Reports say that the dog runs along the sand with you before vanishing into thin air.

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