Kellas Cat

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The Kellas Cat, referred to in Celtic mythology as Cait Sidhe, is a black feline larger than a common house cat, but much smaller than a big cat. It is named after the village of Kellas in Moray, Scotland, where it was first found in 1984, when a gamekeeper named Ronnie Douglas shot and killed one. Before then they were usually thought of as mythological, the few sightings dismissed as hoaxes.

The Kellas cat is described as being over 25 inches long, with powerful and long hind legs and a 12-inch tail, though some claim the tail is shorter. A specimen is kept in a museum in Elgin.

Some people believe that the Kellas Cat is an unclassified species, or at least a subspecies of the European Wild Cat. However, eight specimens were collected and analyzed by Dr Andrew Kitchener of the Royal Museum in Edinburgh. He found that seven of the cats had traits of both house cats and wild cats, suggesting they are most likely hybrids.

"The Kellas cat specimens collected largely by Di Francis were subjected to a thorough examination by Dr Andrew Kitchener of the Royal Scottish Museum, in Edinburgh. Based on the evidence from eight collected specimens, he concluded that seven of the cats showed traits common to both Scottish wildcats and domestic cats. These cats were described as introgressive hybrids, representing animals with varying degrees of Scottish wildcat and domestic cat ancestry, which in turn accounted for the differing external characteristics exhibited by the type specimens." 1