The puzzling evolution of the Wampus Cat legend in Texas

Wampus cats in modern-day Texas are beloved high school mascots. The city of Itasca, Texas, adopted the legendary cat as its mascot in the 1920s. Previously, it was a terrifying legend in Sherman, Texas, where a hunting party would encounter the cursed beast one fateful night. It begs the question of how the Wampus cat went from terrifying legend to adorable high school mascot.

The Wampus cat of Sherman, Texas in 1908

Wampus cats are legendary beasts that have haunted the folklore of cities from Appalachia to Texas. In most cases, the Wampus cat resembles a bobcat, but slightly bigger and meaner. In some stories he even has six legs. In some places it is a hybrid between a mountain lion and a female.

Wampus cats have been blamed for terror regimes that have left more than 100 dogs dead with only the bones left behind, children missing, strange noises in the night, and a host of other unexplained events. A Wapus cat even found its way into a 1908 newspaper article in Sherman, Texas.

According to the article, a hunting party went out one evening. The dogs went crazy near a tree, so one of the hunters decided to climb up and see what prey might be hiding. The hunter described seeing what appeared to be about the size of a bobcat. He asked for a gun, and when it was handed to him, he took aim and fired. Supposedly there was the sound of a woman screaming and then the Wampus cat jumped down between the hunters and their dogs.

The dogs tried to subdue the beast, but it seemed to disappear into thin air. It wasn’t the first time, nor the last, that this Wampus cat was seen. In fact, it already had a nickname. It was the Wampus cat of Choctaw Bottom.

From horrific beast to beloved high school mascot in Texas

It’s not all terrifying legends when it comes to the Wampus cat. One Texas city has decided to adopt the legendary cat as its official high school mascot. They are the Wampus cats of Itasca, Texas.

The story goes that in the 1920s there was a student who came up with one of the most famous school nicknames in the state of Texas. Presumably the school was looking for a nickname for its teams when one student declared during a post-match party, “…we were really Wampus cats tonight!” The quote is attributed to a student named Trav Burks.

Whether the mysterious, terror-inducing beast exists or not, you’ll be able to find one trying to hype the crowd under the Friday night lights in Itasca, Texas.

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