Ailuranthrope

Ailuranthrope
As depicted in Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island
Naming
Others	Werecat Were-cat
Binomen	N/A
Morphology
Body type	Feline-humanoid
Average height	Varies
Average weight	Varies
Intelligence
Sentience	Sentient
Sapience	Varies
Aggressivity	Varies (typically Extreme)
Language	Roaring
Ecology
Place of origin	Varies
Diet	Carnivorous
Locomotion	Bipedal (usually)
Related species	Lycanthrope
Behind the Scenes
Universe	Real
Performed by	Various

An Ailuranthrope; often known as a "Werecat", is a human being afflicted with a specific form of therianthropy, in which the person periodically transforms into a feline creature, which may be either bipedal or quadrupedal.

As with other types of therianthropy, the transformation is most commonly involuntary and nocturnal; associated with the rise of the full moon. However, there exist several types of ailuranthropes depicted in folklore and fiction. Some are associated with a specific feline species, e.g. "Were-tigers", "Were-panthers", "Were-jaguars", etc.; whereas others present more generic transformations.

Works featuring ailuranthropes

Although not nearly as ubiquitous as Lycanthropes, these creatures have been featured in numerous works of fiction.

• "The Eyes of the Panther" by Ambrose Bierce (1891)
• Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island
• Teen Wolf (Werejaguar, a.k.a. Nagual)
• Dungeons and Dragons
• Monster High

Notes

• As with "werewolf", it's worth noting that, from an etymological point of view, the word "werecat" should be reserved specifically for males, whereas "ailuranthrope" is gender-neutral.