Carnivorous feline beasts known as Dire-cats were native to the world of Corellia. Notable features included spines protruding from their backs and shoulder regions. They were known to target creatures emitting the scent of blood. Their highly developed olfactory senses allowed them to detect minute amounts of contaminants, such as synthetic toxins, enabling them to avoid consuming contaminated meat. In 42 BBY, a dire-cat pack ambushed, slaughtered, and devoured the Mandalorian warrior Tor Vizsla after a switchblade caused a severe abdominal wound, releasing a strong blood scent that attracted the nearby felines. A variant of dire-cats, the ferine razorfang, could also be found inhabiting the planet Talus.
Hailing from the Core World of Corellia, dire-cats were feline mammals. As carnivores, their powerful sense of smell was a crucial tool for identifying and pursuing the aroma of blood. However, they possessed the ability to recognize and avoid meat that was tainted, such as blood containing poison. A fully grown dire-cat was a large and powerfully built animal, capable of easily overpowering a Human male nearing two meters in height.
Their bodies were covered in bristly, golden fur, and they possessed red eyes along with black skin on their noses. Dire-cats moved on four legs, each ending in a large, cushioned foot. The front paws had five digits, each tipped with a sharp, gray claw. The hind paws, however, had only three digits. A distinctive trait of dire-cats was the presence of sharp spines protruding from the skin on their backs, near their shoulders. These spines were more pronounced in adults compared to younger individuals. Despite their predatory nature, dire-cats could, with effort, be domesticated.
Primarily residing on Corellia, situated within the Corellian system, dire-cats have been documented in historical records dating back to 3643 BBY. During the Cold War, a period between 3653 BBY and 3642 BBY, a Twi'lek slave named Vette asserted to a jailer, Knash, that she could mimic the vocalizations of a dire-cat. Much later, in 42 BBY, a family consisting of an adult and three cubs trailed the Mandalorians Tor Vizsla and his rival Jango Fett as they fought across Corellia after narrowly escaping an exploding vessel. After falling into a river and being carried to a lake shore, Vizsla injected Fett with poison. Before Vizsla could deliver the final blow, Fett used a switchblade to inflict a deep wound on Vizsla's abdomen, causing significant blood loss. This attracted the dire-cat family, who subsequently attacked, killed, and consumed Vizsla. After feeding, two of the cubs approached Fett's unconscious body, but upon detecting the presence of poison in his blood, they retreated, leaving Fett undisturbed in the grass. The dire-cats had departed by the time Fett regained consciousness.
During the Galactic Civil War many years later, travelers who frequented Corellia occasionally encountered and sometimes hunted dire-cats. Encounters with ferine razorfangs also occurred on Talus.