Werecats are therianthropic humans that appear in folklore spanning the globe for many centuries, although the actual term "werecat" has only been in use since the late nineteenth century. There are many versions of werecats from domesticated cats to werelions and they are counted among a large variety of were-animals from weredogs to werebears.
A werecat can be defined as a shape-shifting human with the ability to transform into a specific kind of cat, sometimes much larger than its regular counterpart. During the witch trials in Europe, the official church doctrine claimed that all shape-shifters from werecats to werewolves were witches and were to be put on trial as such.
In China, they were called weretigers. They were believed to be humans that had fallen victim to a heredity curse or malevolent spirit.
