origins of "Wampus Cat"???

[Dave Van Allen]

I've heard this expression in several old honky tonk tunes- "Live Fast Love Hard DIe Young" by Faron Young contains the line "I'm a Wampus cat, let me grab my hat and baby come along with me..."

Tommy Collins tune "If you can't bite don't growl " has the line with a gender switch: "I' a Wampus Kitty and Mean Momma..."

where the heck did this term "Wampus Cat" come from?

[Dave Van Allen]

dang shoulda tried Google first...

http://www.dixiexfiles.homestead.com/files/Wampas_Cat.htm

[Gene Jones]

I always thought my dad coined that expression....except he called it "Wampus Kitty"! <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 15 March 2003 at 08:41 PM.]</p></FONT>

[RB Jones]

Thanks for looking that up. I'm from East Tenn. and I always heard the term Wampus Cat or Whumpus Cat used but never knew the story behind it. It was always used in a similar way to the Boogie Man, as in "if you lie to your mom and dad the Wampus Cat'l git ye."

Even now I sometimes call my kids Wampus Cats when they're being mischevous.

The Cherokee legend sounds like where that may have come from. Many Cherokee and mixed Cherokee and White and or Black people live around the East Tennessee and Western Carolina mountains and they have a strong storytelling tradition. Wampus sounds like an Indian word, too.

RB

[CrowBear Schmitt]

RB yer lookin in the right direction

[Stephen Gambrell]

And how does it tie in with the "Zizz Wheel" we've all heard about, but have never encountered?

[VERNON PRIDDY]

A Wampus Cat Is A Black Cat With A Red Oh You Know. SONNY.

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SONNYPRIDDY

[Randy Pettit]

If you ever visit Itasca, TX (south of Fort Worth) one Fall Friday evening, you can watch the Itasca HS Wampus Cats play football...