Start your story with a character encountering a black cat.

Posted in Horror on Oct 28, 2022

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✍️ 75 stories

“Worst Day of the Year” by Michał Przywara

Shelby the rat skidded to a stop on the dew-slick grass when she saw a black cat. No, not just a black cat, but the jet black cat Jack, an insufferably arrogant cat that only ever ate, lounged, disdained, and occasionally partook in his sole hobby – mousing. And he was a savage mouser.Hallowe’en was without a doubt the worst day of the year, and this one was already shaping up to break records. Of course, the stupid shindig yesterday wasn’t much better. Shelby knew better than to spend all night partying, but in her defenc...

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“Copycat” by Chris Campbell

“SHOO!” Bertrand Aurelier had been walking home along the moonlit country road when something in his bleary-eyed vision caused him to freeze in place. Swaying from the strong effects of drinking a little bit too much local wine at a Halloween party, he looked oddly out of place dressed as a skeleton amongst the hedgerows of the French countryside. “I said, Shoo! Allez Maitenant!” A curious black cat had unexpectedly appeared in response to Bertrand’s wailing, off-key singing. Positioning itself dead centre of the ru...

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“A New Tail” by Graham Kinross

I look at the fluffy monster, crouched in the corner of the room. “Why? Billie?” I ask my wife. “Why do we need another cat?” Its tail flicks as it watches me, as if it knows I’m threatening to send it back to the streets. “In case Genzo gets lonely when we’re out.” She knows I’m annoyed so she’s doing the puss in boots eyes and hiding behind our adorable baby daughter. &nb...

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“The Accident” by D.J. Lewis

A black cat jumped onto the sofa, where Sophie had made herself comfortable for the evening. She regarded the cat with deep suspicion. It wasn't her cat. The cat glared at her with an accusation in its’ cold green eyes. Then, lifting an elegant yet deadly paw, it started to lick itself as if it had every right to be there, and, in fact, Sophie did not.She hadn’t remembered leaving a window open; the doors had been locked since the early hours. Sophie wasn’t expecting visitors. She loved her own company, having no need for spurious ...

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“Kismet” by Cindy Strube

KismetIt almost got Sissy today.She’s the littlest one, and Mama usually keeps a careful watch over her — but somehow she crawled too close to the doorway.I saw it out of the corner of my eye; something dark and very quick.Sissy squeaked in fear. Mama grabbed her and bundled all six of us into the farthest part of the room.~~~Mama says we can’t go out. “We’re in mortal danger...

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“Black Cat Queen ” by Helen A Smith

The cat showed up just as the sun had set. An early evening desert breeze made the heat bearable before it cooled off completely. Not wanting to disturb any snakes that might snap at her heels or provoke a scorpion by accidentally stepping on it, Zara made her way to the shadiest part of her garden. Sitting on a stone bench beneath her palm, she observed a moon that was bright and full. A sky which not long ago was a bl...

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“Hidden Portraits” by Anne O

The canvas remains nestled on the easel. No image bestowed. No story to tell. Dust gathers around the square edges. The paints are all dry, nothing left of them to use. What used to be vibrant greens, yellows, oranges, and reds have turned to a dull cracked paste. Leroy hates this room; he hates it with every atom of his being. Why he hates it? He does not know. There are pieces of him he cannot access. Memories, storie...

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“The Witch's Familiar” by Shawn Wier

[CW: mentions animal abuse and death] Nine hundred and ninety-nine steps into the forest, there is a clearing–a perfect circle exactly eighteen feet across. The trees here are centuries old, and though their trunks and roots dare not creep into this space, the canopy of their orange-clad branches create a cave with a skylight casting the center of the clearing in a persistent glow. There, ...

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“Birthday Beam” by Amanda Lieser

CW-allusions to death The notification indicating a missed call had occurred sounded off. DING. Kim turned her phone over and shook her head. Soft, calming music filled the room. The pungent odor of incense burning and the soft flickering of tea candles gave the impression that this was a calm space—an inviting space. She breathed in deeply. She exhaled slowly. Her groin ached slightly b...

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“Here Kitty Kitty” by David Ader

He wished he’d thought more about that black cat when he first saw it earlier that morning. Black cats are bad omens, right? Maybe the omen was the cat itself, a ‘here kitty kitty’ gone very wrong. Now, though, as that morning led into the afternoon, he saw that cat again in front of him, staring and swishing its tail not five yards ahead. He knelt and held out his fingers, feigning the act of teasing a...

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“I Miss You” by Zoey H.

Today was the day.I never thought I’d be wearing this black dress, and these uncomfortably tight shoes, this jingling jewelry. A picture of you clutched tight in my fist, tear stained paper wilting like a dying flower in between my fingers. The air was crisp, almost frigid. The wind blew, a ghostly howl sending a chill up and back down my spine. My eyes were fixed on a young black cat perched, eyes bright yellow and beckoning me closer, on the painted brick steps of the funeral home. It mewed as I inched closer, reaching down to st...

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“The Kiss of Death” by Sarah Goodner

I first met the woman a month ago at the voodoo shop. She had been locking up the store, and I could sense her power from across the Rue Royal. She was practically glowing with it. This was no retail hack, she was the real thing. Why she was slumming in the Quarter, I had no idea. I carefully crossed the street, dodging in and out of the tourists drunken legs and cautiously approached the woman, whose name was Serafina....

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“The Little Black Cat” by Ace Burnside

Mia Moore had always considered herself to be more of a dog person. That is, she got along well enough with her grandparents' little chihuahua, Cupcake, although that was basically the extent of her experience with animals of any sort. They simply were not something that crossed her mind very often—until the day she had a most dreadful breakup.She had been sitting upon the front steps of her porch, lamenting and glowering over her day, when a little black cat had just so happened to approach her, its eyes wide as it let ...

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“Are you hungry, Puss?” by Emma Cooper

Trigger Warning: Descriptions of Death, Bodies and Decay. Stop looking at me like that- I know you are hungry and I’m sorry, but can’t you see I’m a corpse? A corpse.

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“The Devil's in the Detail” by Dave West

The Devil's in the DetailThe black cats in our town are becoming a bit of a nuisance. We first noticed them shortly after our little writing group – there are two of us, in a town of about 30 households – decided to enter this week’s short story competition. It’s coming up to Hallowe’en, and the theme is “I’ve got goosebumps”: The prompt says: Whether you celebrate Hallowe’en or not, late October is an interesting time, full of contradictions. On the one hand, you’ve got chunky sweaters, aubur...

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Start your story with a character encountering a black cat.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 75 stories

“Worst Day of the Year” by Michał Przywara

“Copycat” by Chris Campbell

“A New Tail” by Graham Kinross

“The Accident” by D.J. Lewis

“Kismet” by Cindy Strube

“Black Cat Queen ” by Helen A Smith

“Hidden Portraits” by Anne O

“The Witch's Familiar” by Shawn Wier

“Birthday Beam” by Amanda Lieser

“Here Kitty Kitty” by David Ader

“I Miss You” by Zoey H.

“The Kiss of Death” by Sarah Goodner

“The Little Black Cat” by Ace Burnside

“Are you hungry, Puss?” by Emma Cooper

“The Devil's in the Detail” by Dave West

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story where someone sees the shadow of someone standing behind them.

Start your story with a blast of lightning casting a graveyard in a flash of brief, white light.

Write about someone finding a monster under their bed.

Write a murder story where the murder weapon is the knife used to carve a pumpkin.

Contest #169

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

261

Contest entries

114

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Tired of MS Word?

Explore more writing prompt ideas: