Metamorphic Cats

From ancient times, stories have been told of cats that are transformed into humans, often becoming beautiful women.

Aesop's tale of Venus and the Cat concerns a cat who falls in love with a handsome young prince. Venus, the goddess of love, agrees to transform the cat into a beautiful girl, and when they meet the couple eventually marry.

But Venus is not convinced that the cat's transformation is complete, so on their wedding night, she introduces a mouse into the couple's bedroom. Forgetting herself, the girl pounces on the mouse and devours it. The goddess,   confirmed in her suspicions, decides she must turn the girl back into a cat.

In Japanese folklore, the shapeshifting cat is of a more sinister nature. In a tale similar to Western vampire myths, a demon cat attacks a fair maiden and sucks out her lifeblood. It then assumes her identity. In its new female form, the cat turns its attentions to the maiden's lover, Prince Nabeshima.

By gradually extracting his life force, during nightly visits, the vampire cat weakens the prince to the point of death. He is saved just in time through the vigilance of his faithful servant, and the impostor is eventually destroyed.

A similar fable comes from Spanish-Jewish folklore. Lilith, Adam's first wife, leaves him to become a vampire in the form of a black cat, who then descends upon helpless, sleeping babies and sucks out their blood. This story may have contributed to the widespread belief that a cat may lie on a sleeping baby, causing suffocation.