The Demon Cat of Capitol Hill: North American Folklore

It’s a little funny to imagine staunchly professional politicians perpetuating the tale of the so-called Demon Cat that haunts the halls of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C.

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There are several variations on the Demon Cat legend, but many agree that the stories began as soon as the building was completed in 1800. One of the first reports of an attack by the beastly cat was from an early night watchman of the Capitol Building.

As he was doing his guard duty, he noticed a rather regular black cat wandering the halls of the Capitol Building. This was not unusual, as they were introduced to control the rodent population that was rampant at the time. What was unusual was the way the cat locked eyes with the guard and began running at him, ready to pounce. As the cat leaped into the air, it grew to the size of a large tiger, knocking down the guard, and subsequently disappearing in midair.

In many stories of the Demon Cat (or D.C., get it?), the tiger sized beast always disappears before causing any true harm. Most claim that Demon Cat hails from the Crypt of the Capitol Building, which was supposed to house George Washington’s remains before his willed request to be buried at home in Mount Vernon.

The Demon Cat is said to have a sixth sense for political mischief and mayhem, he is often seen on the nights before elections and reports state that he was lurking the corridors of the Capitol on the evenings of the presidential assassinations of both Lincoln and Kennedy.