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In 1679, the Altusian governor of Atrocha, Felipe San Simón y Gasteiz, had to deal with a revolt in the Sierramar prison in Villa del Norte. At that time Atrocha was a commercial place, but also a place of political and religious exile, and a penal colony. However, this revolt had something different: it was led by an Alcatus, Ricardillo. Ricardillo was an assassin in Altusian lands who was sent to Atrocha to serve his sentence for life. He conspired with other Alcatus to create an "Algatina Republic", a haven for the Alcatus on the remote island of Solitas.

The revolt was put down, but Ricardillo and his band of Alcatus managed to escape to Papetua, a place where the Atakau aborigines had survived the conquest of the island. The Atakau were horrified at the appearance of the catmen and were expelled by Chief Mumuara. Later they went to loot the farms of the farmers of Alao, where the rural population was scandalized by the presence of these strange beings. Finally, Governor San Simón found them and killed them in the slopes of the Santiago el Menor peak.

The population was shocked by the presence of such strange people. The legend that they were the devil's abomination, that they ate children, and that their instincts were to kill anyone who slept with them spread throughout the island. Mestizos and criollos demanded that they be expelled from the island, and 7 parish priests from all over the island came to the bishop of Santa María de Atrocha to ask that the "algatinos" not enter their churches.

In 1681, the Protestant pastor Hernando Torres, in one of his sermons in Portasena, claimed that he had seen an Alcatus living in the city and being an adulterer. A mob came to the Alcatus' house, killed him, and searched for his lover, the wife of a Germanic officer, who defended her relationship with the Alcatus. The mayor of Portasena ordered that, when the baby of the woman with the Alcatus was born, he should be cared for by the sisters of the local convent, and that he should know no other trade than carpenter, and that he should not cross paths with any citizen. From there came the folk tale of the "Cat Man Who Carved a Door."

In 1717, Governor Vicente Carlos López de Miras sent the King a "Pragmatic Decree" on the entrance of the Alcatus, with signatures of the main families of Atrocha. The decree absolutely restricted the entry of Alcatus into the colony, unless they devoted themselves exclusively to their respective trades and married only those of their race. In 1785 another decree was signed prohibiting the entry of Alcatus women, to prevent their reproduction.

In 1803, Antonio de Morajuez, considered the Father of the Atrochana Identity, wrote an essay against the Alcatus, considering them as a missing link in regular human life. In 1854, Alcatus were forbidden to pass through the streets, and only in their "private homes." The census of 1865 did not record any Alcatus living in Atrocha except "three male Algatinos, two working on Don Anastasio Orellana's farm in Ximénez, and other very unfortunate who works as a street sweeper at the port of Jonaite."

After independence, the authorities decided to create and reform laws, but the Pragmatic Decree of 1717 was never repealed. It was in force until well into the 20th century, when Parliament in 1923 decided to repeal it by the so-called "Foreign Walking Animals Act". This law was more general, but it was restrictive with respect to all non-human intelligent beings, including the Alcatus, preventing their entry into Atrocha except in situations of extreme urgency or by court order.

In 1941 the first reserve for algatinos (name for the Alcatus in Atrocha) was created, known as the Ulloa Reserve, in Alto Sereno, province of Mar Grande. The reserve had a census of 50 Alcatus working in the port of Seaburgo. The reserve was dissolved in 1976 and since then the Algatinos have had no place on the island of Atrocha.

The Non-Human Law of 1982, passed during the government of Natanael Cospedal, is the current law in force in the legislation of Atrocha with respect to the Alcatus. Although they are granted citizenship rights, they have to go through several tests to get them, as well as marrying a human and having their child marry a human, in order to ensure that as many descendants as possible have the fewest number of Alcatus physic aspects. All Alcatus are barred from holding public office, although they can weigh in at a dialogue table with the Ministry of the Interior on legislation involving them.

By law, Alcatus must have a reserve. Since 1993, they were given a reserve in Murú, Montalba Island, but in 2003 the government of Alejandro Obregón decided not to renew the reserve and neither did his successor Azucena Coto Rodríguez. In 2011 they were placed in Salvadora, where they had a reserve until 2032. In 2034, it is planned that the Alcatus will obtain a reserve in Vikonna.

In popular thought, given their practice and reduced non-existence for three centuries, Alcatus are seen as mythological beings or, failing that, oddities of life. In recent decades, people have begun to have a positive view of the Alcatus, but they do not feel safe about the possibility of them pulling the strings of the country because "they are not human." Not even the left has called for rights for the Alcatus people.

Are there organizations that seek their integration into society? Yes, the Association of Non-Human Residents in Atrocha. However, due to restrictions on entry and coexistence, the population of Alcatus barely reaches 2,000 people. They are not recognized as an ethnic group because it is simply argued that "ethnicities are human" and the law "is made for humans." The descendants of Alcatus, on the other hand, reach 600,000 people, but very few identify themselves and even fewer are the number of Alcatus physic aspects.