The cougar (Puma concolor) CLASS: Mammalia (Mammals); ORDER: Carnivora ; FAMILY: Felidae.
It is a large cat native to the Americas, and goes by many names: mountain lion, panther, puma, ghost cat, catamount. Widespread as they are—pumas range from the Yukon to the southern reaches of the Andes—they've earned the name “ghost cat” pretty much everywhere because these living animals are so elusive.
The “catamount”—or more so the name "catawampus”—are both names applied to any of various wild cats: such as a "cougar" (Puma concolor) OR the North American "lynx" (Lynx Canadensis).
In particular, the name “catawampus” CAN ALSO SIGNIFY an imaginary fierce/savage/destructive wild animal: meaning a cat-like cryptid or a scary phantom cat.