In Japanese folklore, the cat yōkai traditionally believed to arise from an old or unusually large cat is the bakeneko.
The bakeneko is a supernatural cat associated with transformation and uncanny behavior. Folklore says that domestic cats could become bakeneko after living for many years, growing exceptionally large, or developing an unusually long tail. Once transformed, one might walk on its hind legs, speak, dance, wear clothing, or manipulate household objects.
Bakeneko tales often reflect the uneasy relationship between familiar domestic animals and the supernatural. Cats were valued for controlling rodents, but their nocturnal habits and independent behavior also made them mysterious in popular imagination. Some stories connect bakeneko with dangerous transformations or the replacement of human family members.
Bakeneko should not be confused with the nekomata, another supernatural cat often depicted with a divided tail. The two traditions overlap, but bakeneko is the broader term for a transformed cat yōkai.