Seymour the Cat

This is by no means a terrifying story, but rather a story that brought my wife and me comfort.

Many years ago, I brought home two brother kittens, who we named Seymour and Stewart. Both cats had very different personalities, and Seymour was very clingy, needy, and what one would describe as a "lap cat." Stewart was the polar opposite of Seymour, albeit friendly and social, but would give you stitches if you tried to pick him up. They were indoor cats, never allowed to go outside, and when my dogs inadvertently brought nature in (sticks, pine needles, leaves, etc.), Seymour would dine on them, which we let him do. Many years transpired and one night, Seymour began mewling incessantly and started throwing up bile. My wife rushed him to the emergency clinic where he died within hours. During his autopsy, the vet found that he had a small hole in his intestine (caused by a pine needle tine), and poor Seymour had acid leeching into his system for months, which eventually killed him. Needless to say, my wife and I were distraught (I felt really guilty, full of self-blame), and missed him dearly, and to this day, still do.

One and a half months ago, I woke to the noise of what sounded like a cardboard toilet paper roll being batted around the floor at the foot of the bed. I thought it was Stewart, so I leaned forward and was going to scare him off (it was 1 or 2 in the morning), and when I moved forward, I saw a small gray billowy mass run from the foot of the bed, out the door, and into the adjacent room which houses cat food, litter box, scratching post, etc. I got a weird tingly sensation and I said, "Stewart?" I then heard Stewart run from the living room towards the "cat room," enter said room where he starting spitting, hissing, and caterwauling. He fled out the room back towards the living room. I started feeling really eerie and out of nowhere, I said, "Seymour?" The moment I said this, the same small gray billowy mass left the cat room and came back into the bedroom, and I was freaking out because it was transparent. The form appeared to sit and then it looked like he was cleaning himself, and then my dog, Buddy (chocolate lab) reacted to the form (they grew up together), and when he walked over to the form, you could see the form start rubbing against Buddy's legs. The mass then walked to the foot of the bed (out of my vision), and Buddy followed him there, sniffed around, and then lay back down on his bed. I slowly leaned forward, and when I did, there was nothing there, except an eerie feeling and a cardboard toilet paper roll.

This morning (2/7/13), I saw him again, but wasn't scared. He was waiting outside the bedroom door (I originally thought it was Stewart and then realized I could see through him), and when I turned on the hallway lights, he was gone.

My wife and I are comforted to know he is still with us and showing himself. Since seeing him, I have forgiven myself for contributing to his death, and look forward to other interactions with him.