Catman of Greenock - Creepy Kitty

Local legends can be bonkers. Every town has some legend used by kids to creep each other out. Not many of these legends are 100% true, though. That's the case with the Catman of Greenock. It was once believed that the Catman was nothing but rumor and legend. That all changed in 2007 when some kids managed to film the near-cryptid.

Who is This Mysterious Catman?

Don't be fooled by the thumbs up, this man needs help

Residents of the Scottish town of Greenock have reported seeing the Catman since the 70s. He seems to hide in concrete sewer pipes during the day. Catman comes out at night to forage for discarded food and hunt rats. He never speaks.

One rumor about the Catman of Greenock's origin holds that he was a sailor. The Catman, according to this legend, was a Russian sailor who arrived in the fishing town in the 60s or 70s. He ran afoul of a local gang and suffered a severe assault that left him with brain damage and badly broken legs.

Catman never recovered from the beating. He was reduced to pure instinct. Knowing only to find food and water. The damage to his legs was so bad that he had to crawl.

Another theory states that Catman was an escaped mental patient. This is a classic throwaway theory that is a hallmark of most urban legends about people acting strangely.

Catman - Falling Through the Cracks

The Catman of Greenock only resembles a cat in lifestyle. His appearance is very human. In fact, he has a real 'uncle' look. That is, if you ignore the soot-blackened face and reflective eyes. Catman doesn't seem able to walk. Instead, he crawls along using his hands. His head is covered in scars that could be remnants of the beating that put him in this position.

Social workers have apparently attempted to capture Catman. Early attempts failed. It seems Catman can move quite quickly despite his disability. One Reddit user u/YouGotAFishtank claimed that Catman was eventually taken to Ravenscraig Hospital.

Ravenscraig was founded in 1876 as an Asylum. Over the years it evolved as the treatment of mental illness advanced from incarceration and torture to treatment. The hospital closed in 2012, so the current whereabouts of Catman are unknown. Popular opinion seems to be that the Catman of Greenock has died.

Greenock's Own

The people of Greenock took care of the Catman. Food and water would often be left out for him, and he would gladly partake of anything given. This of course led to some abuse, but it seems that the citizens of Greenock were largely sympathetic to the Catman's cause.

One resident of Greenock had this to say:

Catman is definitely real. He gave me a hell of a fright. The first time I saw him it was just getting dark, and all I saw were his eyes. His face is totally black like in the video. He would lie at Scotts Lane path in the bushes behind the fence, pointing at cat meat that was left for cats, asking me to pass it through the fence. I think he was scared to go onto the path for it. I used to go buy donor kebabs for him when coming home from dancing. He hasn’t been seen in ages now, since the council put corrugated iron up so he couldn’t be fed.

He is definitely real, not a myth. I heard young boys gave him a heavy kicking. Young neds in Greenock are evil.