By THOMAS D’AGOSTINO

Many people believe that animals cannot become ghosts. It seems rather implausible since they are living beings with a personality, life force, and intelligent energy that can remain behind after they are gone. There is also the residual factor, where the earth tapes a moment in time and replays it when the conditions are just right. In many cases, people have had their beloved fur family member return after passing over to the other side to let them know they are still there, in spirit at least. It seems the most common entity other than humans to come back and pay a visit are cats.

Cats are amazing creatures. They are highly intelligent, athletic, independent, and adaptable. Arlene and I presently have five of the lovely fur folk, having lost a few over the years due to age, and yes, they have visited us from the other side.

When we lived on Mowry Road in Burrillville, Rhode Island, we sometimes heard what sounded like a cat running around in the room above us. The landlord, who later became a great friend, told us that section of the house was completely closed off, yet what sounded like a cat was running around. We would later add to our living space to include the upstairs, accessible through a door on our side of the house. We then witnessed the cat several times in the two upstairs rooms. No one knew the feline’s identity, but for some reason, it always preferred to stay upstairs, never venturing down to the first floor.

Our friend Kevin once saw the ghost cat, which is a rather amusing tale. He frequently accompanied us on paranormal investigations, yet never saw anything unusual. His very first actual sighting of a ghost was seeing our little ethereal friend running around the corner. His only comment was, “wouldn’t you know it, the very first time I see a ghost and it had to be a cat’s behind.”

Our cat, Cooneys, named so because she resembled a raccoon, passed away in 2008. She not only came back to visit, but we received a message from a “pet medium” telling us that our little girl actually visited her and wanted her to tell us she was fine and doing ‘the good work’ of helping other fur people on the other side. If that was not enough, she appeared several times in our home. One time she even appeared on the stairs to have her picture taken by none other than paranormal investigator and author Chris Balzano while he was writing his book, Picture Yourself Ghost Hunting. When the photo was examined, there she was, stretching out across a few stairs, looking out at us like she always did.

Our beloved Arthur passed away in 2013. Arlene had him since he was very young, and he was the love of her life, so much so that she had a portrait painted of him, which still hangs in our living room in a place of honor. He was an amazing and intelligent little guy. Arthur loved going for rides in the car; he came along on vacations with us and accompanied us on shopping excursions, picnics and visiting friends. He was our constant companion.

When he passed, we were very heartbroken, but a few nights later, we heard the distinctive sound of Arthur’s voice in the house. A few nights after that, as we both sat in bed reading, the end of the bed suddenly moved as if something had jumped up on it. We both watched in astonishment as little paw prints made indentations in the blanket on the bed.

Arthur would one up coming back in spirit. We buried him outside and made a little yard for him. Early summer, we decided to clean his yard and put flowers in it. As we were planting the flowers, we heard Arthur cry. The cry permeated the air around the yard and froze us in our work.  We heard it again and traced it to the little hill behind our house. Upon investigating, we discovered a small kitten that we would later be able to capture and bring in the house. When we brought her to the veterinarian to have her checked out, it was discovered that she was born about the same time Arthur passed. As she grew, her mannerisms and habits were just like his. She loved to sit and sleep in the same places he did and knew the house instinctively. We feel that a part of Arthur was reincarnated into Freyabelle just so he could be with us again.