The Hombre Gato, or Catman, is a legendary creature that possesses both feline and human features. This South American folk tale is particularly popular in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, especially in rural and less populated areas. Much like the

werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely or ...

, the catman is thought to come out at night, roaming neighborhoods and preying on both people and animals. There are those who believe in his existence, claiming to have heard or even encountered him, but the majority of people who relate this story describe it as fictional. The Hombre Gato has also made its way into Hispanic literature, becoming the subject of many short stories and science fiction tales."El Hombre Gato", a short story by Juan Diego Incardona
/ref> There is also a documentary
La Leyenda del Hombre Gato
made in Navarro, a rural town of Buenos Aires.

References

Spanish-language South American legendary creatures Argentine culture Mythological felines Cat folklore {{Argentina-stub