▁was ▁released , ▁and ▁even ▁before ▁a ▁review ▁of ▁" H ound ▁Dog " ▁had ▁been ▁published ▁in ▁Billboard , ▁While ▁retain ing ▁the ▁same ▁mel ody ▁as ▁" H ound ▁Dog ", ▁Sun ▁founder ▁Sam ▁Phill ips ▁wrote ▁new ▁lyr ics , ▁in ▁which ▁he ▁alter ed ▁the ▁gender ▁of ▁the ▁singer , ▁who ▁bem o an ed ▁that ▁his ▁woman ▁was ▁a ▁" b ear ▁cat ", ▁a ▁Jazz ▁Age ▁sl ang ▁term ▁for ▁" a ▁hot - blo oded ▁or ▁fier y ▁girl ". ▁The ▁record ' s ▁spare ▁electric ▁guitar ▁work ▁by ▁M emph is ▁bl ues man ▁Joe ▁Hill ▁Louis ▁was ▁greatly ▁influenced ▁by ▁that ▁of ▁P ete ▁Lewis ▁on ▁the ▁original . ▁According ▁to ▁James ▁M . ▁S alem : ▁ ▁By ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁March , ▁" B ear ▁Cat " ▁was ▁in ▁stores , ▁prompt ing ▁Billboard ▁to ▁describe ▁it ▁as ▁" the ▁fast est ▁answer ▁song ▁to ▁hit ▁the ▁market ". ▁It ▁became ▁both ▁Thomas ' ▁and ▁Sun ▁Records ' ▁first ▁hit , ▁eventually ▁reaching ▁number ▁three ▁on ▁the ▁R & B ▁charts . ▁However , ▁as ▁Phill ips ▁claimed ▁a ▁writing ▁credit ▁for ▁the ▁song , ▁a ▁copy right - in fr ing ement ▁suit ▁en su ed ▁that ▁nearly ▁bank rupted ▁Phill ips ' ▁record ▁label . ▁ ▁On ▁March ▁ 2 8 , ▁Billboard ▁reported ▁that , ▁" In ▁an ▁effort ▁to ▁combat ▁what ▁has ▁become ▁a ▁r amp ant ▁practice ▁by ▁small ▁labels — the ▁r ushing ▁out ▁of ▁answers