Faded-out, I believe ligers actually exist, though not normally naturally occurring
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liger
Of course, having never seen the movie Napolean Dynamite, I may be way off base as to what you're talking about.
My favorite mythical concept is Bast (or Bastet, spelling varies), the part feline Egyptian deity. Not actually a creature, though there are some modern tie-ins probably based on the idea; like the Kzin from the sci-fi novels, the Caitians from Star Trek, and modern anime "catgirls".