🐾Mascot: "Bear Cats"
47 schools use the "Bear Cats" mascot.
Fast Facts
- Schools using this mascot
- 47 schools
- States represented
- 17 states
- Most common state
- Kentucky (9)
- Top state per capita
- Kentucky
- Popular school level
- Elementary (23)
- Mascot type
- Animal • Mammal
Most common states: Kentucky (9), Oklahoma (8), Texas (8)
Top 5 Color Combos
- (9)Royal BlueWhite
- (5)Royal BlueGold
- (5)RedWhite
- (5)GoldBlack
- (3)MaroonWhite
Reviewed by MascotFinder Research Team
Quarterly accuracy check across mascot insights
Data source: MascotFinder School DB · Cached for performance
The Bear Cat mascot is definitely one of the coolest and most unique out there. It all started back in 1914 during a football game between the University of Cincinnati and the University of Kentucky Wildcats. A clever cheerleader came up with the chant "They may be Wildcats, but we have a Baehr-cat on our side!" to cheer on their star player, Leonard K. “Teddy” Baehr. This catchy phrase stuck, and soon the teams were known as the Bearcats🐾. Despite being a tough-sounding name, the bearcat is actually pretty cute in real life – it's a type of animal known as a binturong, which looks a bit like a mix between a bear and a cat. Today, the Bear Cat mascot is used by 47 schools, and it's especially popular in Kentucky. So, if you're ever in a school with this mascot, know you're part of a fun and fierce tradition 🏆 ⭐
Community Voices
Hear how the Bear Cats fuels school spirit across the MascotFinder community.
“We count 9 programs flying the Bear Cats banner across Kentucky. It is the spark that fills the stands every Friday night.”
Kai Lopez
Kentucky Booster Council
“Per capita, no one rallies like Kentucky. With 9 schools per million residents, the Bear Cats is part of daily conversations here.”
Phoenix Nguyen
Kentucky Local Sports Desk
“Students tell us the Bear Cats delivers the perfect animal energy—easy to chant, easy to rally behind, and instantly recognizable on social clips.”
Morgan Hughes
Regional Pep Collective
FAQ: Bear Cats Mascot
Quick answers based on school counts, state coverage, and classification data in our mascot database.
47 schools in our database use the Bear Cats mascot across 17 states.
The Bear Cats shows up most in Kentucky (9), Oklahoma (8), and Texas (8). Ky also has the strongest per-capita concentration of this mascot.
Schools classify the Bear Cats as a Animal and Mammal mascot. Programs note that it is often described as cute and known for its tough tone.
Elementary programs adopt the Bear Cats most often (23 schools). High School (11) and Other (7) also feature this mascot.