Were-Cats Real or Legendary?

Were-Cats Myth or Reality?

People are believed not  just to have transformed into wolves (werewolves) but also into cats ,Were-Cats.The belief has persisted for centuries.Were-cats could appear as domestic cats or as tigers,lions,leopards,panthers, in fact any type of cat.

European folklore often has witches transforming into domestic cats whereas African stories are concerned with wild cats such as were-leopards or were-panthers.Were-Lions were thought to be have been members of the royal family reincarnated.

In Africa, there are folk tales that speak of the "Nunda," or the "Mngwa," a big cat of immense size that stalks villages at night. Many of these tales say it is more ferocious than a Lion and more agile than a Leopard,in fact a were-cat .In 1938 a British Explorer William Hichens, whilst in Tanzania, was told by locals that a monstrous cat had been attacking people at night. Huge paw prints were found to be much larger than any known big-cat. William  Hichens believed it more likely to be a lion with gigantism.

In India the were-tiger is thought to be a sorcerer who steals livestock or even is a man eater.  In a certain part of Bangladesh in the villages near Sunderban, there is a myth there that a certain type of man eater tiger’s bite can turn a person into a were-tiger  called 'Maya Bagh' .

Chinese legends often describe were-tigers as the victims of either a hereditary curse or a vindictive ghost. Japanese folklore there are creatures called bakeneko,cat spirit. In Thailand a tiger that eats humans may become a were-tiger.

In South America in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures they believed in  the were-jaguar. Among the Aztecs, warriors  dressed in  jaguar skins and were called "jaguar warriors" or "jaguar knights". Depictions of the jaguar and the were-jaguar are among the  common motifs found in ancient ruins.

In the USA, urban legends tell of encounters with were-cats as bipeds similar to Bigfoot but having cat heads, tails, and paws.

Two  campers on Mount t Tamalpais in Marin county California in 1964 claimed   to have encountered two cat like entities during the night.They could hear the creatures communicating with each other a strange chattering sound in the darkness. Then one ventured into their camp.One witness  description stated " It's head was close to it's body and below the shoulders it was very muscular and it was bipedal."The witnesses estimated the weight of the creature at around 200 lbs.

In 1968 Connecticut bus driver  claimed to see what he describes as a Tiger walking on two legs  down Valley Street in New Haven .Police were unable to find the creature despite a search of the area.

In 1969 a Chicago man driving at night  down a road in Niels Michigan claimed to have seen a strange cat like creature standing on two feet on the side of the road. He slowed down to get a better look but the creature ran at his car and began attacking it, punching his windshield .It had large clawed fists which  broke  the glass so he quickly drove away.He said the cat like creature made a strange squealing sound .

On Friday April 10th 1970 Mike Busby was on his way to Olive Branch Illinois heading down route 3. About a mile outside of Olive Branch by the Shawnee National forest his car stalled so Busby pulled over and get out to see what was wrong. Suddenly he heard  movement on his left. Turning to face it  he was startled to find two large green glowing eyes shining in the dark.Then  it moved heading for him. He described it as  six feet tall( approx  2 meters) black and panther-like but bipedal.  The creature struck him in the face with a massive paw, knocking him to the ground .With him on the floor, it climbed on top of his chest and continued to hit  him .Busby had  injuries to his chest, abdomen and upper left arm. He managed to grab the top and bottom of its jaws preventing it from going for his throat. It had yellowish fangs and hair  short and wiry like steel wool .Suddenly  the headlights of an oncoming diesel truck lit  up the road and he could see the creature more clearly. It had dark black fur and a long tail, just like a huge cat. The lights or perhaps the noise of the truck frightened the creature and it it loped off the highway running on two legs.

The above account was featured on American TV.

In 1967 near  the village of Blakeney in Norfolk England on a cold dark winters night, a witness  was driving to Blakeney when she caught a brief glimpse of a creature standing by the roadside.The woman said: “It stood like a person, but stooped, but had a cats head. Even the pointed ears.” There was another report  in the 1980s but I have been unable to verify it

 

So could were-cats really exist? There was a 1942 Val Lewton film called  Cat People ,in which a woman transformed into a large cat which could have influenced some modern sightings.Could some modern sightings be Alien Big Cats , long being reported in many areas? Certainly intriguing.