Zombies

I want to know who decided on zombies. Really, honestly. I know it didn't just come to the minds of millions of people at once and was just there. Someone came up with it, it was agreed on, and everyone just went with it. 
Personally I think it's kind of disgusting and weird. Not weird like the awkward bathroom hello, but a different kind of weird. I mean, who came up with the idea of zombies anyway? Some years ago, a sick, twisted person had a nightmare and told all his friends? 
Oh my swear, when I was a pretty young kid, I watched this episode of Medium I think and it was the freakiest thing ever. It scared me so bad. It was about zombies at this funeral home. So scary. 
But really I want to know who decided on it. To be honest I think a cat apocalypse would be kinda cool. Like, possessed cats. That would be pretty freaky, but not super gruesome, you know. Well, actually it could get gruesome, thinking about the shredding of rodents my cat does that we talked about earlier.. I think it would be much more fun to be a possessed cat than it would to be a zombie. I don't want to eat other people's brains, man. That's just gross. But I don't think I would mind biting other people.. No blood or anything, just a friendly nibble and they're on the possessed cat team. Not too friendly, cause this is an apocalypse, but you get the point.