A mum claims the ghost of her dead dog is egging on her cat to steal a teddy from a grave - as CCTV catches the moggy do it for the third time. Rachel Masterman says three-year-old moggy Demo likes to surprise her with gifts she's found laying around in the graveyard behind her house.
But the 49-year-old opened the door to find Demo had brought home a teddy wearing a blue hat with the words 'special little boy' written on it and posted a photo on her local Facebook group so she could return it to its owner. After tracking down the mother who had left the teddy for on her little boy's grave, the mum-of-three returned it to the cemetary but the next morning it was back at her front door.
Believing that the cuddly toy could be a 'sign', the stay-at-home mum contacted a psychic and had a reading over video call. The psychic told her that Demo was bringing the toy to Rachel at the request of her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Jack who passed away in October.
Rachel says she believes it is indeed the ghost of her dead dog trying to give her a 'message' by egging on the cat to repeatedly swipe the toy and bring it to her. Rachel, from Caldicot, Monmouthshire, said: "Demo is known for taking things from the graveyard. It's a stones throw away and she's a kleptomaniac.
"She has a particular cry that she has when she's brought something home. I dread it when I hear her crying at the door. She was crying at the door, I opened it and there was a teddy on the floor. I posted a photo on our local Facebook page asking if anybody recognised it and a lady messaged me saying it was from her little boy's grave.
"I said I was so sorry but my cat had taken it. She told me not to worry, she'd seen the cat's antics on Facebook. He's famous in the area. I promised her I'd take it straight back. I couldn't believe it the next day. I opened the door and it was there again. I messaged the lady again saying 'you're not going to believe this, she's only gone and brought it back'.
"People commented on my post saying it might be a sign so I spoke to the psychic. I'm into things like that. She asked me to send over photos of relatives, dead or alive. I sent her a mixture of things. I tried not to give anything away. I sent her a picture of Jack, Demo and the teddy bear. I didn't say anything, I just let her say things.
"She said the teddy bear belongs to a baby boy which is pretty obvious because it says 'special boy' on it. She asked what the link between the teddy and the cat was so I asked her to elaborate before I told her the story. She said it was something to do with the dog and she asked if the dog had passed recently. She said the cat is bringing the toy from Jack. I broke down into tears. It's still so raw. I had a warm glow thinking it had come from my beloved dog."
Rachel took the teddy back to the graveyard but was left 'screaming' when she realised Demo had brought it back for a third time and the neighbour had caught it on camera. Rachel said: "When she brought it in the morning I screamed for my daughter and there it was laying in the snow. I just said 'oh my God'.
"My neighbour caught Demo on camera with the teddy and I thought 'thank God for that' because people might think I'm making it up. I sent a photo to the lady and she was understanding. I told her about the psychic and she said she was sorry to hear about my dog but she thought it was lovely. I think it's a message from Jack."
Rachel was advised by a vet to put seven-year old Jack to sleep in October as a heart condition was causing him to have heart attacks. Rachel said: "It was very sad. Jack got on really well with Demo. They had a very special relationship, it was lovely.
"She's the sweetest little cat. We do get a lot of mice and birds that she brings home as well but there have been gloves, wrapping paper and a pair of pants. She's always doing it. People on the community page love it, they love when I post about her antics."