Nationality: Chinese American
Primary Language: English
Other language(s): Chinese
Age: 60
Occupation: Stock Broker
Residence: California
Performance Date: November 25, 2023

Text:

Me: “So tell me about your cat that you saw as a ghost.”

P: “I had my cat, Mimi, for 24 years. She had been with me through everything. I got her right out of college in Miami and she traveled with me until I ended up in LA. She would act kind of possessed at times, like spazzing out and jumping around all crazy. She was a very curious cat. One time she fell out of my fifth story apartment into the bushes out front and I was so scared cause I didn’t know where she had gone.”

Me: “so besides Mimi acting possessed, when did you think you saw her ghost?”

P: “Well after she passed away, I was lying in bed and I swear I heard little kitty footprints coming up to the bed. As she got old, she couldn’t jump onto the bed anymore so I would pick her up and bring her onto the bed. So, I looked over the side of the bed and I thought I heard a little purring sound but there was nothing there.”

Me: “So you heard Mimi’s ghost, but never actually saw her correct?”

P: “Yes, after that I just got really sad because I forgot for a second that she was gone.”

Context:

P is a middle-aged woman living in California. I interviewed as we were bonding over our love for cats. Mimi died almost 10 years ago, but P still talks about her all the time. P really believes that Mimi was visiting her that night even though she couldn’t see her.

Analysis:

A common function of ghost stories is to bring comfort after losing a loved one. Pets are loved just as much as humans, so it makes sense that their ghosts would come back too. Whether Mimi actually came back as a ghost or if P was just hallucinating, it brought her comfort and a little happiness to know Mimi was still with her. I think thats the most important part of friendly ghost stories, bringing a little joy to a sad situation.