Cat Legends

Cat Legends from Around the World

cat legends


Ccoa – The Evil Cat Demon of Peru

The legend of Ccoa is told in the Indian Quechua tribe in south Peru. Ccoa is a huge cat, almost three meters long and has dark stripes running down his fur.

This evil cat has control over lightning and the hail. Ccoa has the power to ruin crops and wipe out humans. Offerings must be made to Ccoa on a regular basis to keep on the safe side.

The Golden Flower – Kinkwa Neko

An old Japanese cat legend tells the story of female cats called Kinkwa Neko or Golden Flower. They had orange-colored fur. These cats were feared as they had magical powers.

The Kinkwa Neko had the ability to transform themselves from a cat to a beautiful woman. It would not be so bad if it stopped there, but the worst was yet to come. The Kinkwa Neko devoured human beings.

One story tells about a most unfortunate man who gave an orange-colored cat to his relatives. He was quite unaware that the cat was Kinkwa Neko in disguise.

When he returned to visit his relatives the house was empty. On the floor he found torn rags and human bones scattered around the room.

Old American West Tale

Many stories were told about the cactus cat by the frontier men of the old American West during the 19th century.

This was a fearsome animal indeed. It had front legs made up of shard blades of bones.

The Cactus Cat used these front bones to slash the giant cacti and then it drank the sap.

After drinking the sap the Cactus cat became quite intoxicated.

Frightening screams from Cactus Cat could be heard during the night.

Children Beware

“There is an old legend in Iceland about a family up in the mountains who are the descendants of the trolls. The parents are names Gryla and Leppalúdi.” They have thirteen quite mischievous children. The mother, Gryla was known to help herself to naughty human children and use them in her famous stew.

The thirteen kids, also known as the Yule Lads, arrive one at a time the thirteen days before Christmas to the homes of humans. Children leave a shoe on the window sill. If they have been good the Yule Lad will leave a small gift, if they have been bad the Yule Lad will put a potato in the shoe.

The Yule Lads leave one day at a time the thirteen days following Christmas. The tradition continues to this day in Iceland.

Gryla owns a frightful cat named Jólakatturinn. The cat is known to have a huge appetite for eating children, especially at Christmas time.

The only thing that can save a child is something new to wear. The legend explains that only children who have not been lazy throughout the year receive new clothes and are thereby saved from becoming the next dinner for the gruesome cat.

Patripatan – The Cat that went to Heaven – India

In Salangham there was a prince who owned a beautiful white cat. The prince of Salangham was inclined to send his cat to pick a flower from the heavenly tree. Upon arriving in heaven Patripatan simply loved the place and forgot all about the task.

Three hundred years passed before Patripatan finally felt obliged to fulfill the assignment. Patripatan was given a branch full of gorgeous blooming flowers.

Upon his return he found that the people had not aged one bit. The heavenly flowers Patripatan secured that the country was transformed to a place of beauty and tranquility.

King Arthur and the Fisherman

Once there was a fisherman who promised God to give him the first fish he caught in his fishing net.

As it happened the first fish was large and grand looking. He could not bear to give it up. The second time he drew the fishing net up the same thing happened.

The third time the fisherman hauled in the fishing net, he found a little black kitten in the net.

The fisherman decided to keep the kitten and forgot all about his promise to God.

As time went by, the cat grew. The black cat grew larger and larger. It seemed it would not stop growing.

The cute little kitten had grown into a hideous and extremely ill-tempered cat. The enormous cat was fierce and there was nothing anybody could do about it.

As expected the gruesome cat killed the fisherman and his family.

The cat moved into a cave and started terrorizing the nearby villages. Merlin and King Arthur were called to help.

Together the two of them approached the cave. They lured the cat out. A dreadful and bloody fight came about.

Eventually King Arthur managed to kill the cat.

The mountain was always to be known as “The Mountain of the Cat”.

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