Audio version of this story, as well as some other Virginia cryptids on our YouTube: https://youtu.be/HUWg82f3UQ4?si=sMhvJ5DZ4cGyuvpL&t=1292
This is one we keep hearing a lot about but didn’t really know a lot about. I was surprised to see when looking into it that this was a Virginia and Tennessee cryptid. It’s said to walk upright like a human but has the body of a large cat, dark skinned and some features of a woman. Along with large glowing hypnotic eyes. It’s also said to have a terrible odor and give off a terrifying howl. Reports of this creature are said to go all the way back to when Appalachia was first being settled and even further back according to natives.
Most folks used to say the origin of the creature was from one of these two stories. In the first there was a native woman who believed her husband was being unfaithful. He would go on very long hunting trips with other members of the tribe, and they would go on a bit longer than expected.
One day she decided she was going to see what was going on for herself. The problem is women weren’t allowed to go on the hunting trips, so she put on a mountain lion hide and followed the group. Unfortunately she was caught, and as punishment, the tribe’s medicine man bound the hide to her for life, creating the Wampus Cat.
The other main story is that the creature was a witch who would transform into this cat-like creature. Hypnotize farmers and steal their farm animals. This went pretty good for her over the years until one night, she was caught and got stuck in the form. After this she was unable to turn back, and was doomed to roam the earth in this form.
The creature was spotted many times back then trying to steal farm animals, or it was often blamed for cattle mutilations. Did you know the creature is still reported to be seen in the area in modern times?
A few years ago in Abingdon Virginia, a man claimed to see what he thought was the Wampus Cat. He and his wife saw a large pair of eyes staring at them one night between some stairs. When they called out to whatever it was it hissed at them like a cat. Then it ran off. They noticed that it looked like a huge cat running on its hind legs!
Source: Monsters of Virginia: Mysterious Creatures In The Old Dominion by L. B. Taylor Jr.
