The Sliver Cat is a elusive feline cryptid that is found in North American Lumberjack folklore of the 19th and 20th centuries.
| Cryptid Name: | The Sliver Cat / Felis glabraspiculata |
| Location: | Northern pine-wood forests, United States |
| Category: | Folklore / Feline Cryptid |
| Description: | Large cat-like creature with red eyes, tasseled ears and a silvery coat. It has a long tail with a distinctive ball at the end of it. |
| Size: | About the size of a cougar or mountain lion. |
| Behavior/Characteristics: | Rarely seen by humans, harmless on the ground. |
| Diet: | Carnivorous. |
| Habitat/Environment: | Northern pine-wood forests, especially in trees. |
| Evidence: | Limited and anecdotal, based on folklore and legend. No concrete scientific evidence of its existence. |
| Sightings and Encounters: | Rare and unverified reports of sightings in pine-wood forests. |
| Skepticism/Explanations: | Considered a mythical creature or a product of lumberjack folklore. Lack of scientific evidence raises doubts about its existence. |
What Does The Sliver Cat Look Like?
The Sliver Cat is described as a big cat-like creature that lives in the North American pine forests. It is said to weigh 300 pounds / 136 kilograms and has red eyes and tasseled ears.
Its most distinctive feature is its tail which is said to be 11 feet / 3.3 meters long. It has a hard ball at the end of its tail which it uses to hunt with.
The Sliver Cat is quite similar to the Ball-Tailed Cat of Oregon and Pennsylvania and the Dingmaul of New Hampshire.
The Sliver Cat Legend
The Sliver Cat legend is recorded in Henry Tryon’s book called, “Fearsome Critters”. It is a collection of stories about the creatures and critters in the lumberjack folklore of North America.
A northern pine-woods dweller. Harmless on the ground, but dangerous when up in a tree. A big animal, sometimes reaching three hundred pounds weight. Its ears are tasselled and its eyes red, with horizontal slits. A mature Sliver Cat carries a tail eleven feet long with a hard ball on the end. Half of this ball is polished smooth, half is studded with a burr-like, barbed growth. Like the Dingmaul, the Cat beats the ball on his chest in the mating season, being careful to use only the smooth side.
But the chief function (or should it be secondary?) of this tail is to obtain food. Crouched on a limb overhanging the trail, the Cat pats the passer-by on the head with the polished side of his ball, and then slaps the burred side into the senseless victim’s hide and draws him up to the roost to be consumed.
A Sliver Cat crouched on a limb, with his ball-tail poised for instant action, makes a startling silhouette against the full moon.
Fearsome Critters
Source: Fearsome Critters
Similar Cryptids
- Dingmaul – New Hampshire
- Ball-Tailed Cat – Oregon / Pennsylvania
- The Hodag – Wisconsin
- The Squonk – Pennsylvania
