13
A most common form of apparition is the ghost that appears in
a photograph. The apparition was not evident when the photogra-
pher peered into the viewfinder, but when the photo was printed
or viewed on a screen, the apparition’s image had been captured.
Scottish paranormal investigator Gordon Rutter describes a case
Ghosts of Animals
Believers in the paranormal suggest that an apparition does
not have to appear to be human—people have reported
seeing apparitions of deceased pets. The existence of the
spirits of animals was suggested as early as 1913 by Elliott
O’Donnell, an author and paranormal expert. “The mere
fact that there are manifestations of dead people proves
some kind of life after death for human beings; and happily
the same proof is available with regard for a future life for
animals; indeed, there are as many animal phantoms as
human—perhaps more,” said O’Donnell.
In 2004 Mike and Renee Leppard found a stray kitten
near their Texas home. Although the Leppards already pro-
vided a home for five cats, they adopted the kitten, naming
him Scampers. One night Renee was awakened by Scam-
pers, who seemed to be playing with another, though un-
seen, cat. Scampers swatted at the air with his paw and
tumbled around. Then he chased the unseen cat.
Soon the other cats in the house joined in the play. In
each case the cats seemed to engage in typical play com-
mon among cats—except there did not seem to be another
cat involved. Says paranormal investigator Dusty Rainbolt,
“It’s something to behold when the cats begin to chase the
invisible cat in different directions, leaping, stretching and
vocalizing. . . . Renee used to think the melee was the cats’
morning wake-up call for their breakfast, but rarely are the
food dishes empty when this occurs. Now, she believes the
ghost cat gets them stirred up.”
Quoted in Dusty Rainbolt,
Ghost Cats: Human Encounters with Feline Spirits.
Guilford,
CT: Lyons, 2007, p. 2.
Rainbolt,
Ghost Cats: Human Encounters with Feline Spirits,
p. 37.
