Bronze statue of the six-legged Wampus Cat located at
Conway High School.
The Wampus cat is a
cat-like creature in
American folklore that varies widely in appearance, ranging from frightful to comical, depending on region.
Description
Early references, by the
American Dialect Society, noted the Wampus cat as "a creature heard whining about camps at night," "a spiritual 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 legends, the monster is the cat-like embodiment of a female onlooker cursed by tribal elders, as punishment for hiding beneath the pelt of a wild cat to witness a sacred ceremony. The Wampus cat is used as a
mascot for several educational institutions. During the 1920–30s, newspapers reported 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]
Conway Junior High/ High School,
Conway, Arkansas – seen as a six-legged swamp cat. Described by locals as "a mountain lion with six legs: four for running at the speed of light, and two for fighting with all its might."[5]
The Uwharrie Wampus Cats, a wood-bat baseball team in Albemarle, North Carolina[9]
The Wampus cat has been associated in several South-Eastern tribal beliefs as a shape-shifter. One can find the story in Cherokee folklore.[10]
In popular culture
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]
Kobold Press converted the Wampus cat into a monster for
Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition in its sourcebook Tome of Beasts. These Wampus cats appear as female mountain lions with the heads of human, trollkin, orc, or goblin women and are created through curses leveled by shamans upon women who practice forbidden magic. Possessing the ability to enthrall others with their voice, Wampus cats despise all men, but especially holy men, priests, and shamans, whom they seek to kill in retribution for their fate.
Pardon My Take, a sports podcast, used the Wampus cat as a euphemism for consuming a large amount of chewing tobacco as a punishment for mistakenly predicting a “whomping” in the
2022 NBA Playoff series between the
Boston Celtics and the
Brooklyn Nets.
The 1965 Tommy Collins (singer) song "If You Can't Bite, Don't Growl" includes the lyrics "I'm a wampus kitty and a mean mamma".