Greenock Catman: A Feral Man in Scotland
An alleged photo of the Greenock Catman. Photo: Scottish Daily Express.
Since the 1940’s in Greenock, Scotland, rumors have persisted about the presence of a feral man, covered in black soot and crawling around the alleyways of Greenock.
The Legend of the Greenock Catman
A video telling the story of the Catman of Greenock
Each town has its own local legends, but the myth of the Catman of Greenock is particularly peculiar. This coastal Scottish town near Glasgow is said to be haunted by a Catman who preys on rats and roams the alleyways.
Referred to as the Greenock Catman, he has remained a mystery in the town for decades, with no one knowing his true identity, origin or even having heard him speak.
Theories about his existence range from him being a lost sailor to a man with mental illness. Despite the lack of concrete evidence, locals claim to have seen him several times and everyone in the town seems to have heard of him or have a story to share about him.
Curiously, it wasn't until 2007 that the Catman's existence was confirmed when a video recorded on a cellphone surfaced showing a man feasting on a dead rat while crawling near a dumpster.
This sparked a renewed interest in the case, and people offered various theories about his background. A documentary was even produced in an attempt to uncover his story, but the elusive Catman was never found, and the filmmakers were forced to abandon their efforts to uncover the truth about his life.
Some locals believe that the Greenock Catman may be a lost Russian sailor who found himself stranded in Scotland during the 1970s with no means of communication or resources to return home. As a result, he reportedly chose to live underground in Greenock, adopting the life of a cat to survive.
According to another theory, the Catman used to be involved with organized crime and was severely wounded, forcing him to walk on all fours. He now hides in the alleyways of Greenock, surviving off scraps and rats, in order to stay hidden from those who maimed him.
Others believe the Catman is an escaped mental patient who has chosen life on the streets over his mental facility.
Those who have encountered the Catman believe he is mostly harmless and will greatfully accept any food given to him.
Sightings of the Catman of Greenock
Another photo of the Greenock Catman
Several Reddit users claim to have met the Catman of Greenock.
User TheJoshC claimed:
“Guy from Glasgow in Scotland here. Met this creepy f*cker one night at the bus depot. The blackness around his face is fumes from sleeping in the depot. If he can survive this long on this diet (rats and other animals/trash) then I suppose I can go back to eating my sausage suppers and smoking my cigs.”
Another anonymous user posted:
“Catman, Greenock. I grew up visiting him, feral human. He caught and eat rats and has lived there wild since the 70s. Nobody knows his origin and the authorities deny his existence, but me and my friends and other people knew he lived there, he couldn’t talk or walk upright.”
User RyanMcCartney posted:
“Is he still alive? Was at college in Greenock about 10 years ago and heard about him. Does he still have the wee hut in the forrests between Port and Greenock?”
Many others expressed doubt that the photos taken of the Catman were real. Others claim the whole thing is just a hoax or an urban legend that has spread since the end of World War II.
Possible Explanations for the Catman of Greenock
It is possible that the Catman of Greenock was originally a disabled homeless person in the 1940’s who became a legend that grew into the story of the catman.
Without finding the man and having a chat with him it’s hard to know his story, if he is even still around.
What do you think about the Catman of Greenock? Let us know in the comments.
If you enjoyed this article you might also be interested in Walking Sam: The Suicide Spirit of Pine Ridge, or Repleh Snatas: The Haunted Website.
Polish woman Katarzyna Zowada was tortured then skinned alive in 1998 by Robert Janczewski. He then fashioned her skin into a body suit and wore it.
The true story of Barbora Skrlová is almost stranger than fiction. When she was 33 years old Barbora convinced a family that she was a young child and got them to adopt her.
Whispers have circulated online about a town called Doveland in Wisconsin that suddenly disappeared. Is this just another internet hoax or is there something substantial behind the mystery?
Johnny Frank Garret was executed for a crime he claimed he didn’t commit. Within a few years of his death 14 people who had played a part in his conviction were dead. Was this a result of the curse of Johnny Frank Garret?
Henry McCabe, a 31 year old father of two, went missing and was later found dead after sending a strange voicemail to his wife.
Langville, Montana was supposedly a real town in Montana that disappeared at some point before the 2000’s. While all evidence of the town has been wiped from existence some claim the residents were mysteriously “turned inside out” and a cover up has taken place to avoid panic.
In 1996 and 1997 a man named Mike Marcum appeared on Coast to Coast Radio, to talk about his experiments with time travel. A few months later someone he had disappeared and someone called in to Art’s show with a story about a man who was found dead on a California beach in the 1930’s that matched Marcum’s description. Could this be the first documented case of time travel?
The Schooner Jenny was missing for 20 years before the ship was found with the crew frozen solid, standing at attention on the main deck.
Over the last decade, pessimism about the future of humanity seems to have ramped up, particularly in online spaces. Could it be that we instinctively know things are about to change drastically?
The Illuminati card game has become infamous for its uncanny predictions that seem to have come true.
American Mother Riss White has taken to TikTok to tell of how her daughter seems to remember a previous life where she died in the Twin Towers.
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior in 1975 during a storm, resulting in the loss of all 29 crew members. The wreck, discovered at a depth of 530 feet, has yielded minimal recovery of bodies, with only one crew member ever found.
Strange, undecipherable ads appeared in the Daily Wildcat Newspaper every year on the first of may. Several theories exist concerning the origin of the ads but their purpose is yet to be understood.
In London, a woman without any previous mental health issues heard voices in her head while reading at home. The voices reassured her, saying not to be afraid and expressing a desire to help. Worried about her sanity, she sought medical assistance. A psychiatrist, Mr. Ikechukwu Azuonye, documented her case in the British Medical Journal.
Many people who have used the drug DMT report seeing Machine Elves during their trips. Could these creatures be real and, if not, why do so many report seeing the same hallucination?
The 'Little Red Man of Destiny' gained widespread recognition as a bringer of misfortune and calamity throughout France, making appearances to some of the country's most prominent figures for over 260 years.
A newspaper article from 1936 reported that a dying man, after seeing himself in a hand mirror, somehow caused it to be fused with the table it was placed on. No one was able to lift the mirror after the man’s death until it was removed violently with an ice pick.
Katherine Hobbs was convinced she wouldn’t live to 16 years old. She had several premonitions throughout her life that led her to believe she would die young. Katherine lived to be 16 years, three months and three days old.
Slime Mold is a strange single celled organism that has baffled scientists for decades. It can solve mazes, communicate with other slime molds and repair itself in minutes.
In 1936 a teenage girl witnessed a man using a jetpack, flying in the sky above her. Was this event extraterrestrial, a time slip or evidence of secret military technology?
Before the police went to Chris Benoit's house and found him and his family dead, someone made changes to the Wikipedia page about him. These changes were made anonymously and talked about the death of his wife, Nancy Benoit.
On May 13, 1848, a strong earthquake struck Chantibun in eastern Siam (now Thailand). Strangely, human-like hairs emerged from the ground in various locations during the quake, including bazaars, roads, fields, and even solid areas.
The Eltanin Antenna is a strange antenna like structure spotted on the ocean floor at a depth of 12,808 ft by a research ship in 1964. Some believe it may be an extraterrestrial artifact.
The Gate of the Gods is an ancient structure in Peru with mysterious origins. No one knows who built it or why.
A four-mile stretch of Missouri-Pacific railroad is home to a strange ball of light that has been sighted hundreds, if not thousands of times. What is not known is what the Gurdon Light is and what causes it.
A caulbearer is a baby born with a “veil” covering its face made from an unbroken amniotic sac. It is said that a child born this way will grow up to have unique paranormal protections or even psychic abilities.
On the 25th November 1972 Captain John Gray returned to his bunk aboard the SS Great Britain complaining of stomach pain. He was never seen again.
Nestled within the breathtaking landscapes of Alaska lies a mysterious and foreboding place known as the Alaska Triangle, where people and planes vanish without a trace, and unexplainable phenomena abound.
Soldiers stationed at OP Rock have witnessed bizarre occurrences: eerie lights, chilling static on the radio, fluctuating temperatures, and haunting whispers in the night, accompanied by an unexplained stench of death.
In 1775, a ghost ship named Octavius was discovered stranded off the coast of Greenland, with the frozen remains of all 28 crew members found below deck.
The Hathor Temple is an ancient Egyptian temple located within the Dendera Temple complex in Egypt. Strangely, some of the temples solid granite stairs appear to have melted.
The Sky Stone, a striking bluish rock, is thought to be a piece of a meteorite that fell to Earth. This unique stone was found in Africa and is said to contain a high concentration of oxygen.
In August 1942, the L-8 came back from its patrol of the California coast to search for Japanese submarines, but its two-person crew was no where to be seen.
On the evening of the 18th April 2023, a strange pillar of light has been seen by hundreds of people in the sky over Detroit. What is going on?
Chaneque are legendary creatures from Mexican folklore that are said to look like children with the face of an old person.
Some researchers believe that an archaeological site unearthed in Tennessee may have been created by ancient Egyptians.
In 1983, Loren Coleman coined the term "Bridgewater Triangle" to refer to an area located between Abington, Rehoboth, and Freetown in Massachusetts. This area seems to be a focal point for strange phenomena in the United States.
The "third man factor" is when someone in a dangerous or high-stress situation hears a voice giving them encouragement or advice. This voice is seen as coming from a spiritual or supernatural source, not just their own thoughts.