Wampus cat

Early references, by the American Dialect Society, noted the wampus cat as, "A creature heard whining about camps at night," "A mythical green-eyed cat, having occult powers," or "an undefined imaginary animal."[1] Folklorist Vance Randolph described the wampus cat as, "a kind of amphibious panther which leaps into the water and swims like a colossal mink."[2] Other commentators liken the wampus cat to a creature of Cherokee mythology. In Cherokee mythology, the monster is the cat-like embodiment of a female onlooker cursed by tribal elders, as punishment for hiding beneath the pelt of a large wild cat to witness a sacred ceremony. The wampus cat is used as a mascot for numerous educational institutions. During the 1920–30s, newspapers reported of a "Wampus" cat killing livestock in North Carolina to Georgia. Though possibly due to early intrusions of coyotes or jaguarundi, the livestock deaths were attributed to the Wampus cat.[3][4]

The Wampus cat is the mascot of the following:

• Clark Fork Junior/Senior High School, Clark Fork, Idaho – seen as a yellow cougar with a spiked ball on its tail.[5]
• Conway Junior High/ High School, Conway, Arkansas – seen as a six-legged cat. Described by locals as "a mountain lion with six legs: four for running, and two for fighting.[6]
• Atoka High School, Atoka, Oklahoma[7]
• Itasca High School, Itasca, Texas[8]
• Leesville High School, Leesville, Louisiana[9]
• The Wampus Cat has been associated in several South-Eastern tribal beliefs as a shapeshifter. One can find the story in Cherokee folklore.[10]

• A musical ensemble who recorded several tracks in 1937 and 1938, and consisting of six or seven string musicians including Oscar "Buddy" Woods, were billed as 'The Wampus Cats'.[11]
• J. K. Rowling's Pottermore story History of Magic In North America[12] lists the Wampus cat as a source for hair used in magic wands.[13] The American School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Ilvermorny, also has named one of its four houses for the mythical beast. [14]
• Strangeways Brewing in Virginia brews a beer[15] named after the cat.
• In the Cormac McCarthy novel The Orchard Keeper, the character Uncle Ather tells stories about wampus cats, or "painters".[16]
• In the Roald Dahl novel James and the Giant Peach, the police officers and firemen of New York City mistook the Centipede for a Wampus.
• In Skylanders: Imaginators, the Skylander Sensei Mysticat is a sphinx who evokes the traits of the wampus cat.

• Catawampus on Wiktionary
• Map of Wampus Cats High School Mascots