The people of DeKalb County Tennessee say that the feral female still roams the county at night. It used to be, many years ago, that she was the most beautiful red-haired girl in DeKalb County. She was the prom queen, the captain of the cheerleading team, the valedictorian of her class and the daughter of the local preacher. Her father, being the local preacher, insisted that his daughter carried herself in the most respectable manner possible. She was to always be pleasing to everyone and never behave poorly in anyone’s presence. According to her father, women who listened to any music besides hymnals were not holy women.
Now, the men of the town, both preacher and otherwise, were allowed to listen to any music of their liking. The preacher’s daughter longed to enjoy the same music that the men listened to. Some of the elder women of DeKalb County learned of her desires, and desperately tried convincing her to cease this dream. They warned her of the dangers of disobeying the beliefs that had been adhered to since long before her birth. The preacher’s daughter would not hear of it, she was adamant to hear the men’s music. It is said that the preacher’s daughter’s curiosity got the best of her.
One chilly fall night, the preacher’s daughter snuck out to follow her father to a meeting with the other men of the county. She stayed far enough behind that she was undetected. She watched the men as they gathered around a black box. One man stood and made a motion as if the meeting was beginning, and all of the men took their seats. The preacher’s daughter watched with wide eyes, her heart racing with anticipation; her breathing becoming quicker. Then, the standing man pushed some sort of button on the black box and music began playing. The preacher’s daughter held her breath and could not believe her ears. She sat very still, willing herself to control her breathing so that she would remain unseen.
But, as the legend goes, she could not control anything. Her breathing became much faster, her chest desperately trying to keep up. Her ears begin to not only tingle from the sound of the music, but in fact they began to burn. Her face began to sting, as if she were being stung by a thousand fire ants on her cheeks. Her skin began to feel as if it were turning inside out right before her eyes. She lost control of her ability to stand, and soon found herself on all fours. She did not understand what was happening to her; she had no control over her body. She looked down at her hands, and saw that they were covered with red fur.
With fear burning throughout her body, she leapt out from her hiding spot, and lurched towards the circle of men. They screamed in horror as they saw the preacher’s daughter changing into a cat. Whiskers had pushed their way out on her face, her ears were pointy and tall, and her body was becoming covered in red fur. The preacher yelled at the men to back away, that the daughter had violated the rules, and had been listening to their music. The daughter tried speaking to her father, to plead for help, but the only sound heard was a horrific hiss that made the men cover their ears and groan from agony.
The preacher looked at his daughter and cursed her for her disobedience.  He told her she would live out nine lives, and always wander the fields in search of a home. That she would be denied and disappointed by every family that she would ever ask for help from. At this point the preacher’s daughter had finished her transformation, and was but a red stray cat. She was destined to be wild after spending her whole life pampered and domesticated.
To this day, the locals of DeKalb County still report seeing and hearing the red haired cat. She shows up at homes in hopes of being fed, cared for and housed. Time and time again, however, the locals remain true to the curse, for fear of their own curse, and turn the red haired cat away. The preacher’s daughter is known to all in DeKalb County as the feral female.  Curiosity made the cat.