Literature
In a twist on the Western concept of cats stealing babies' breath, Japanese superstition holds that cats need to be kept away from the recently deceased, lest they breathe new life into the corpse.
Set against this macabre background, it is said that once a cat reaches a certain age—according to some source, more than forty years; in others, as little as eleven—its tails naturally splits into two and it acquires supernatural powers. Other legends hold that cats that are mistreated or killed by humans will return as vengeful spirits. These paranormal felines are collectively kown as Bakeneko (literally "monster cats") and Neko-mata.
A Neko-mara interacts with the human world in all sorts of ways. Often spotted dancing or conversing in human speech, they had also been cited as the source of ghostly fireballs an other forms of supernatural environmental phenomena. Similar to Kitsune (p. 154) and Tanuki (p. 126), the Neko-mata is believed capable of mimicking the forms of other creatures. Although it prowls the streets as a normal-looking cat, it can make itself significantly larger than the average feline.
Set against this macabre background, it is said that once a cat reaches a certain age—according to some source, more than forty years; in others, as little as eleven—its tails naturally splits into two and it acquires supernatural powers. Other legends hold that cats that are mistreated or killed by humans will return as vengeful spirits. These paranormal felines are collectively kown as Bakeneko (literally "monster cats") and Neko-mata.
A Neko-mara interacts with the human world in all sorts of ways. Often spotted dancing or conversing in human speech, they had also been cited as the source of ghostly fireballs an other forms of supernatural environmental phenomena. Similar to Kitsune (p. 154) and Tanuki (p. 126), the Neko-mata is believed capable of mimicking the forms of other creatures. Although it prowls the streets as a normal-looking cat, it can make itself significantly larger than the average feline.
— Yokai Attack!: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide
