Although Arthur Machen died (December 15) in 1947, he is a transitional figure from Victorian supernatural fiction (which adjective apparently means relating to magic and ghost stuff) to the modern examples of this genre. In fact Machen is a good model for Stephen King in his ability to build the spooky from strands of the ordinary. His 1895 novel, The Three Imposters is a good example. Herein we meet a thoughtful fellow who notes that the foulness of witches has given way to a "diabalerie of old women and broomsticks and a comic cat with outstretched tail." Well you can take it from there.
Machen himself was a cat keeper--he eulogized his black cat, as having 'served with distinction for 16 years the house of Machen.
Kevin Mitnick was born on August 6, 1963. He was at one time the most wanted criminal computer hacker in the world. Nowadays he is a rich (and deservedly so) computer security consultant. His latest book (2008) is titled: "No Tech Hacking: A Guide to Social Engineering, Dumpster Diving, and Shoulder Surfing." Mitnick co-authored this book, and I am not sure if he or his co-author has a cat, but one of them definitely does. This book mentions shredding old mail to use for cat litter.
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