Feeling a cat walk on the bed when the cat was elsewhere
An unnamed caller tells Art Bell that the previous night, after a shadow orb reportedly flew at them and knocked a book from their hands, they felt what seemed like their cat walking on their bed. They say they were lying too close to the edge for a cat to have room, and their cat was in its basket in the pantry. They also report earlier strange events in the house and dogs reacting at night. The host asks them to call back if anything else happens.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 2001-3.mp3”, starting at 1:15:08). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The caller, who is not named in this excerpt, tells Art Bell that they are adding what they call the clincher to an earlier story. They say that last night, after a shadow orb flew at them and scared a book out of their hands, they felt something like their cat walking on their bed. The caller describes the familiar feel of a cat’s paws on the bed and says the feeling was on the bed beside them. They then realized they were lying close enough to the edge of the bed that there was no room for the cat. Their cat was laying in its basket in the pantry. The caller tells the host that although this and other things have happened the whole time they have lived in the house, they had always found a way to dismiss them until the dogs flipped out at night. Asked about a waterbed, the caller says they do not have one now. Art repeats his understanding that it felt like a cat walked on them but was not a cat, because their cat was not there, and the caller agrees. The caller says they live alone and have had paranormal manifestations since they were young, so such things seem fairly normal to them. They say they do not lose sleep over it. But if the dogs go off again that night, they were unnerved enough to call Art. Art tells the caller to email or call if anything else happens before the end of the show.
Reported events, in order
- 0:12
The caller says that last night a shadow orb flew at them and scared a book out of their hands.
- 0:18
They report feeling what seemed like their cat walking on their bed.
- 0:54
They say they realized they were lying close enough to the edge of the bed that there was no room for the cat, and that their cat was in its basket in the pantry.
- 1:05
They say this and other things have happened the whole time they have lived in the house, but they dismissed them until the dogs flipped out at night.
- 1:16
Asked about a waterbed, the caller says they do not have one now. The host sums up that it felt like a cat walked on them but was not a cat because their cat was not there, and the caller agrees.
- 1:34
Asked if they live alone, the caller says yes.
- 1:46
The caller says that since they were young they have had paranormal manifestations in their life.
- 2:16
They say they do not lose sleep over it, but that if the dogs go off again that night, they felt unnerved enough to call Art.
- 2:26
The host asks the caller to call if anything else happens before the end of the show.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 0:18
The caller reports feeling what seemed like their cat walking on their bed.
- observation· 0:58
They report that their cat was in its basket in the pantry and that there was no room on the bed because they were close to the edge.
- observation· 0:12
They say that the previous night a shadow orb flew at them and scared a book out of their hands.
- observation· 1:05
They say that these things have happened the whole time they have lived in the house and that the dogs have flipped out at night.
- interpretation· 1:46
The caller calls their lifelong experiences paranormal manifestations.
- host statement· 2:33
The host states that the caller is somebody undergoing paranormal experiences right now.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
This is a firsthand story with a coherent sequence and some specific details that the caller checked (cat in the pantry, edge of the bed). But the central touch sensation has an easy sleep-related explanation, and few details can be checked independently.
Evidence for and against
- Firsthand word from the person who reports the sensation on the bed.
- The caller answers the host’s questions about the waterbed and about living alone consistently.
- The caller gives a specific check: the cat was in its basket in the pantry.
- Apart from “last night,” no location, date, or other detail that could be checked is given in the excerpt.
- No second witness is reported or speaks on air.
- An ordinary sleep-related or bedding-related explanation fits the felt sensation and is not addressed.
- It is uncertain who said several of the lines.
- The story refers back to an earlier shadow-orb incident that is not fully in this excerpt.
- The caller does not say whether they were fully awake.
- 0:18
- 0:58
- 1:46
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score reflects a brief but consistent firsthand story. It is discounted because the key event is subjective and a common sleep-related explanation is not ruled out.
Only the caller’s word is present. No photographs, recordings, documents, named places that could be checked, or second witness on air are provided, and no outside check was made.
Evidence for and against
- The caller gives a firsthand story.
- The caller mentions checking where their cat was.
- No physical evidence is claimed or examined.
- No other witness speaks on air.
- No names, dates, or places are given that could be checked.
- The excerpt may be part of a longer call with other details not included here.
- The labels showing who is speaking are automatic and may be wrong.
- 0:18
- 0:58
What the model inferred (not said on air): Under the scoring guide, this is the usual case of word alone.
The story is unsettling because an unseen cat-like presence is felt on the bed while the caller is alone at night and the real cat is elsewhere. It has no threat, injury, or menacing figure, and the caller says they do not lose sleep over it.
Evidence for and against
- The event happens in bed, a private, safe space.
- The caller is alone, and the cat is confirmed to be elsewhere.
- The bed sensation follows a reported shadow-orb scare.
- The dogs are said to react at night.
- No harm, threat, or hostile presence is reported.
- No figure is seen in the bed event.
- The caller says they do not lose sleep over it.
- The host treats parts of the exchange humorously.
- The earlier shadow-orb incident is only mentioned, not described, in this excerpt.
- The ongoing nature of the events is not detailed.
- 0:18
- 1:12
- 2:11
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score is moderate. The intrusion in bed is eerie, but the story does not build toward lasting dread or danger.
The story uses a familiar ghost-story frame of an unseen presence in the bedroom. But the touch detail of a phantom cat walking on the bed, checked against where the real cat was, gives it some distinctiveness.
Evidence for and against
- The feeling of a cat on the bed is the main distinctive image.
- The check on the cat in the pantry and the lack of room on the bed adds specificity.
- A presence in the bedroom and unexplained feelings on the bed are common motifs.
- The shadow-orb element is not fully developed here.
- The story is brief and relies on a single central sensation.
- How the story compares with the rest of the archive was not measured. The score is a provisional estimate based on content.
- The excerpt may leave out earlier context that would affect originality.
- 0:18
- 0:58
What the model inferred (not said on air): This is a familiar frame with one distinctive touch detail, so a middle score fits.
Scoring confidence 0.65 · analysis confidence 0.72 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s firsthand story; No physical evidence claimed or examined; No second witness on air; No outside check made. The originality score blends the model's score (55) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- A tactile sensation while falling asleep, such as a muscle twitch or a dream-like impression, could create the feeling of small paws moving on the bed. · The event happens at night while the caller is in bed, and they describe the feeling after an earlier startling event.
- Bedding, mattress movement, or a draft could produce a brief feeling that is taken for an animal walking. · The report is a felt sensation on the bed with no visible source. No physical trace or recording is described.
- After the reported shadow-orb scare, expectation could make an unclear sensation more likely to be taken for the familiar feel of a cat. · The caller links the bed sensation directly to the previous night’s shadow-orb incident and to their familiarity with cats walking on the bed.
What stands out
The central report is about touch, not sight. The caller describes feeling a cat-like presence walking on the bed and then checking that their actual cat was elsewhere. It is also presented as a “clincher” added to the earlier shadow-orb incident in the same call.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.