Premonitions of a father’s death and a family cat’s disappearance
[name withheld], a caller from Albany, New York, says that in 1974 they began having premonitions of their father’s death while living in Manhattan. After a premonition about the family cat, they learned to drive and moved back to their parents’ upstate New York home. They report that their father died in their arms months later. They say the warning helped them prepare to care for their disabled mother.
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 2003.mp3”, starting at 31:32). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
[name withheld], calling from Albany, New York, says they emailed Art Bell their story. They state that in 1974 they began having premonitions of their father’s coming death. At the time they did not believe in psychic events, and their father seemed in perfect health, so they dismissed the premonitions as [quote withheld] One night they woke in a cold sweat and heard the family cat scream. They then had an image of the cat being run over and went back to sleep. About a week and a half later, while visiting their parents in upstate New York, they learned the cat had not been seen since that night. They say this made them wonder whether their premonitions about their father were true. They had a long-standing fear of driving, with intrusive images of going through a windshield. But because of the cat experience, they began taking driving lessons. After several months they passed the test, bought a new car, gave up their Manhattan apartment, and moved back to the family home, which was isolated and reachable only by car. Their mother was disabled, and they reasoned that if anything happened to their father, they would need to care for her. After five or six weeks with their father still healthy, they began to think they had made a fool of themselves and started looking for an apartment in New York City. One night, after work in New York City, they had a date with their girlfriend (later their wife). She stood them up, which she had never done before. They waited three hours, then caught the last bus and drove home late. They could not sleep. Suddenly their mother knocked on their door and said, [quote withheld] The caller rushed in and found their father with eyes wide open, not breathing. They tried CPR, but their father died in their arms. They were 23 years old. They say that without the warning and their preparations, it would have been a far greater disaster.
Reported events, in order
- 0:36
[name withheld] says that in 1974 they began having premonitions of their father’s coming death.
- 0:45
Their father seemed in perfect health, and they dismissed the premonitions as psychological.
- 0:55
One night they woke in a cold sweat.
- 1:09
They heard the family cat scream and had an image of it being run over.
- 1:21
About a week and a half later, visiting their parents, they learned the cat had not been seen since that night.
- 1:35
They began to wonder whether their premonitions about their father were true.
- 1:47
They describe a long-standing fear of driving and images of going through glass.
- 2:20
Because of the cat experience, they began taking driving lessons.
- 2:29
They bought a new car, gave up their apartment, and moved back to the family home.
- 2:46
After five or six weeks with their father still healthy, they thought they had made a fool of themselves and looked for an apartment in the city.
- 3:09
One night, after work in New York City, their girlfriend stood them up. They waited three hours and caught the last bus.
- 3:43
They drove home very late, went to their room, and could not sleep.
- 3:47
Their mother knocked and said their father was breathing funny.
- 3:51
They rushed in. Their father’s eyes were wide open and he was not breathing. CPR failed, and their father died in their arms.
- 4:01
They were 23 years old at the time.
- 4:08
They say that without the warning and preparations, it would have been a far greater disaster.
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· 0:37
The caller began having premonitions of their father’s coming death.
- observation· 1:09
The caller heard the family cat scream and had an image of the cat being run over.
- interpretation· 1:35
The caller says the cat premonition made them wonder whether their premonitions about their father were true.
- interpretation· 4:08
The caller says that without the warning and their preparations, it would have been a far greater disaster.
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, internally coherent story with specific dates, places, and sequence. The caller admits their first disbelief and separates what they perceived from what they concluded. Ordinary explanations (anxiety, coincidence) fit moderately well, and no one else backs it up.
Evidence for and against
- Firsthand witness to the premonitions and their father’s death.
- Detailed timeline and named locations.
- The caller states they did not believe in psychic events and dismissed the premonitions at first.
- No checkable evidence. The cat’s disappearance and the father’s death could be coincidences.
- The premonitions were vague (“impending death”), and the father lived for weeks or months afterward.
- No witnesses to the premonitions themselves.
- The automatic transcript labels some of the caller’s lines as the host.
- 0:37
- 4:01
What the model inferred (not said on air): My judgment that the story is coherent and specific is based on the transcript. The low score for alternative explanations reflects that ordinary causes (anxiety, coincidence) are plausible.
The story is the caller’s own word, but it includes details that could be checked (names, dates, places) and have not been verified. No physical evidence or backing on air.
Evidence for and against
- Named caller, location, date (1974), and age (23).
- No documentation, no second witness on air, and no examination of any evidence.
- Whether the cat’s disappearance or the father’s death can be independently documented.
- 0:07
- 0:36
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score reflects checkable details without verification, which places it in the score range of 11 to 25.
The story is somber and involves a death, but it lacks malevolence, intrusion, or lasting supernatural dread. The premonitions are ominous but not frightening.
Evidence for and against
- A father dies in the caller’s arms.
- Premonitions of death.
- No threatening presence or physical horror.
- The cat premonition is sad but not scary.
- The tone is matter-of-fact.
- Individual listeners may find the death scene disturbing.
- 3:59
What the model inferred (not said on air): Creepiness is judged on the story’s content, not on the caller’s delivery.
The frame is a familiar premonition of a relative’s death, with one distinctive detail: a premonition about a pet that seems to confirm the warnings and leads to concrete life changes. This is a provisional score; comparison with the rest of the archive has not yet been done.
Evidence for and against
- Premonitions of a parent’s death are a common motif.
- The cat premonition and the practical response (learning to drive, moving home) add distinctiveness.
- No highly unusual event or rare combination.
- Comparison with the rest of the archive is not yet available.
- 1:11
What the model inferred (not said on air): I assess the frame as familiar with one distinctive detail, which matches the scoring guide’s anchor for 50.
Scoring confidence 0.85 · analysis confidence 0.90 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s firsthand story. No physical evidence, no backing on air, and no outside check.. 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.
- Anxiety about a parent’s health. The caller dismissed the premonitions as psychological at the time, and their father stayed healthy for weeks or months. Natural worry and a later natural death could be a coincidence. · The caller says they dismissed the premonitions as [quote withheld] and their father seemed in perfect health.
- The cat’s disappearance. Cats often wander off or die away from home, and the dream or image of the cat being run over could coincidentally match the cat’s absence a week and a half later. · The caller reports the cat had not been seen since the night of their premonition.
- The fear of driving and the images are common anxiety symptoms (intrusive thoughts about accidents) and do not require a psychic explanation. The decision to learn to drive may have come from practical concerns about their mother’s care. · The caller describes a long-standing fear of driving and images of going through glass, and says they learned to drive so they could be there for their mother.
What stands out
The premonitions led to concrete, life-changing preparations (learning to drive and moving home), and they included a premonition about a pet’s disappearance that seemed to confirm them. This is not a haunting or a ghost story.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.