Demon Cat
The Demon Cat is a ghost cat in American folklore that is purported to haunt the government buildings of Washington, D.C., which is the capital city of the United States. It is alleged to haunt the White House and the United States Capitol.
History
The story of the Demon Cat dates back to the mid‑1800s when cats were brought into the basement tunnels of the United States Capitol Building to catch rats and mice. Legend states that the Demon Cat is one of these cats that never left, even after its death. Its home is supposedly the basement crypt of the Capitol Building, which was originally intended as a burial chamber for George Washington.According to legend, the cat is seen before presidential elections and tragedies in Washington, D.C., allegedly being spotted by White House security guards on the night before the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln. It is described as either a black cat or a tabby cat, and the size of an average house cat. However, witnesses report that the cat swells to "the size of a giant tiger" or an elephant, said to be 10 feet tall and 10 feet long, when alerted. The cat would then either explode or pounce at the witness, disappearing before it managed to catch its 'victim'.
In the 1890s, the cat is said to have inexplicably vanished when some Capitol Hill guards fired their guns at it, and another guard is said to have died of a heart attack after seeing it. The Demon Cat was also allegedly seen in the final days or aftermath of World War II in the 1940s.