Ghost Cat (2004): A Supernatural Story About Justice and Loyalty
A widower and his daughter move into a haunted house protected by a ghost cat in this heartwarming 2004 Animal Planet TV movie.
Ghost Cat
Director: Don McBrearty
Country: Canada
In 2004, Animal Planet, known for its focus on animals and nature, took a turn from its usual content of documentaries, reality shows, and series by creating a telefilm about a feline ghost.
This film, Ghost Cat, adheres to the familiar and beloved tropes of TV movies, offering a conventional, family-friendly story.
Based on the 1984 novel Ghost Cat by Beverly Butler, it attempted to pluck a few heartstrings by incorporating well-established motifs of loss and redemption.
Plot Summary: A Haunted House and a Protective Feline Spirit
The movie begins with widower Wes Merritt (Michael Ontkean) and his teenage daughter, Natalie (Elliot Page, credited as Ellen Page), looking to buy a house in Ringwood, a small town in the York region of Ontario.
A Mysterious Town With a Troubled Family connection
Although the film was shot in Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island, Ringwood serves as the setting due to its haunted reputation, which ties into the book Wes is writing about ghosts on battlefields. Their move to Ringwood is also significant because it was the hometown of his late wife.
Meeting Mrs. Ashboro and Her Cat, Margaret
A man named Boyd Ashboro (Tom Barnett) shows Wes and Natalie around the house of his aunt, Mrs. Ashboro (Shirley Knight), hoping to sell it to them.
Natalie immediately likes the resident cat, Margaret (played by a feline named Baretta).
“That’s Margaret, my aunt’s baby. Seriously,” Boyd explains.
He mentions that Margaret does not like strangers and tends to bite, though she seems to bond instantly with Natalie.
Boyd also shares that Margaret saved his aunt’s life when she fell asleep with the stove on, and the cat woke her up.
When Mrs. Ashboro arrives, she declares she refuses to sell her home.
It soon becomes clear that Boyd is solely interested in the money.
Despite Mrs. Ashboro’s insistence on staying in her house, Boyd keeps it on the market.
It also turns out that he has been embezzling money from his bank clients and now needs cash to cover his tracks and avoid prison.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Ashboro dies of a heart attack. Her pet cat passes away the night of the funeral, likely from grief.
Return to Ringwood
When Wes and Natalie return to Ringwood to look for another house, they spot Margaret in the middle of the road.
Boyd informs them that his aunt has passed away and that the property is for sale once again. Since Mrs. Ashboro’s home was their favorite, they are buying it.
Once settled, Natalie quickly finds her footing in her new town.
She befriends her neighbor, Pearson (Mark Rendall), and together they assist Brenda (Lori Hallier), a close friend of Mrs. Ashboro, in caring for the animals at her shelter. She even finds herself a boyfriend (Shawn Roberts).
Shortly after moving in, however, the Merritts begin experiencing strange occurrences in their new home: books flying off shelves, ghostly mewing and growling sounds, a piano playing by itself, and other unexplained phenomena.
At a certain point, Natalie even sees Margaret’s ghost sitting on her bed at night.
Ghostly Protector
When the children hold a seance, it becomes clear that the cat’s spirit wants to protect Natalie, Brenda, and the rescued animals.
Guided by Margaret’s ghost, Natalie and her friends uncover money that Mrs. Ashboro hid inside a bag of cat food, intended to save Brenda’s pet sanctuary.
Meanwhile, Boyd and his shady neighbor, Ted Riker (Nigel Bennett), are also searching for the money. They resort to arson to eliminate Brenda and even set fire to the stable where she keeps the animals.
The ghostly cat intervenes and saves the day, ensuring justice prevails.
Title Changes: From Mrs. Ashboro’s Cat and The Cat That Came Back to Ghost Cat
The film was initially only moderately successful. It garnered a decent viewership and received favorable reviews for its family-friendly content and heartwarming story, but it never achieved blockbuster status.
The production changed its original airing title, Mrs. Ashboro’s Cat, to The Cat That Came Back. When that did not have the desired result either, they changed the title again to Ghost Cat.
Of course, the name was only partly responsible for its moderate success. Watching Ghost Cat, it is easy to see why it seemed promising yet ultimately missed the mark.
Why Ghost Cat Failed to Find Its Audience
The PG rating for “mild thematic elements and some peril” did not help. Nor did the threadbare plot and cheesy resolution, which failed to generate the necessary word-of-mouth buzz.
Ultimately, the sentimental approach and lack of spectral felines clashed with a title that suggested something more suspenseful and unusual.
The main issue, however, was that Ghost Cat did not align with Animal Planet’s brand and audience. Feature films require different resources, marketing strategies, and distribution channels, and this wasn’t Animal Planet’s area of expertise.
Elliot Page’s Early Role and Recognition
On a positive note, Elliot Page won the Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Children’s or Youth Program or Series for his role in Ghost Cat.
Before starring in this film, Page was mainly known for his work in Canadian TV shows, most notably Pit Pony (1997-2000), for which Heather Conkie, who co-wroteGhost Cat, also worked as a screenwriter, and Trailer Park Boys (2001).
Page would appear in Hard Candy (2005) one year later, introducing him to a more mature audience.
However, Juno (2007) truly propelled his career forward.
That film was a commercial success and earned Page an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, bringing significant recognition and establishing him as a prominent talent in Hollywood.
Ghost Cat might have been a forgotten telefilm if Page had not become such a big star.
However,Ghost Cat resurfaced to haunt us with a DVD release.
Director Don McBrearty’s Career After Ghost Cat
After directing Ghost Cat, Don McBrearty found his niche in TV Christmas movies, a genre where he truly excels.
He made over a dozen, including An Old Fashioned Christmas (2010), Magical Christmas Ornaments (2017), Christmas in Love (2018), Return to Christmas Creek (2018), Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe (2018), Unlocking Christmas (2020), Boyfriends of Christmas Past (2021), Jingle Bell Princess (2021), and Christmas at the Drive-In (2021).
In 2023 alone, he helmed three festive projects: The Fabric of Christmas, Christmas on Windmill Way, and Royally Yours, This Christmas.
Knowing that this is McBrearty’s specialty helps understand what to expect from a movie like Ghost Cat.
Where Can You Watch Ghost Cat?
The film is currently only available on DVD.
Final Thoughts
Have you seen the movie Ghost Cat (2004)? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
And if you loved this story, also check the following cat movies set in Canada:
About the Author
Vanessa Morgan is the editor of When Animals Attack: The 70 Best Horror Movies with Killer Animals, Strange Blood: 71 Essays on Offbeat and Underrated Vampires Movies, Evil Seeds: The Ultimate Movie Guide to Villainous Children, and Meow! Cats in Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy Movies. She also published one cat book (Avalon) and four supernatural thrillers (Drowned Sorrow, The Strangers Outside, A Good Man, and Clowders). Three of her stories became movies. She introduces movie screenings at several European cinemas and film festivals and is also a programmer for the Offscreen in Brussels. When she is not writing, you will probably find her eating out or taking photos of felines for her website, Traveling Cats.
This movie review was previously published in my book Meow! Cats in Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy Movies.
I love a happy ending.
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It’s not easy coming up with a new and unique twist, although it sounds like this would be a nice, feel good movie for a cold winter night.