The cactus cat is a legendary "fearsome critter" of the American Southwest. The cactus cat was generally described being a bobcat-like creature, covered in hair-like thorns, with particularly long spines extending from the legs and its armored, branching tail. The Cactus Cat has been sighted in the Southwestern desert, in states such as California, Nevada and New Mexico with a few sightings in Colorado. Cowboys and pioneers of the nineteenth century told tales of these strange beasts coming out at night, slashing open cacti exposing the sap. On later nights, the creature was said to drink the fermented juice, causing the cats to enter an intoxicated state, stumbling around and sometimes attacking travelers. Attacks by these strange varmint, though considered rare, did happen from time to time, with many frontiersmen waking up to find welts on their body from the cat's barbed tail. Despite these attacks, the Cactus Cat was not considered an aggressive creature (except toward cacti). The critter was also known to have a unique and haunting "wail" that could be heard at night through the darkened desert, along with the dry sound of its bones rubbing together. Rendered by the talented artists of Anderson Design Group, this classic illustration will look great as a framed print, metal sign, canvas, or as a set of notecards or postcards.