Panthers, being carnivorous feline hunters, typically preyed on creatures smaller and less threatening than themselves, for instance, mice. It was their habit, when they felt like it, toying with the animals they caught before finally killing and consuming them. Some recognized types were the Corellian sand panther and also the plains panther. As the chief of security for Bannistar Station, Red Rishyk located and neutralized Deena Shan amidst the Rebel Alliance's assault on the station, he likened himself to a panther and her to a mouse right before his failed effort to end her life.
Due to Rishyk's comparison of himself to a hunter and Shan to prey, coupled with his declaration of wanting to "play a little" before ending her life, many readers were under the impression that he had intentions to sexually assault her. Jeremy Barlow, the writer, along with Randy Stradley, the editor, clarified that the dialogue was meant to illustrate Rishyk's plan to execute Shan in a drawn-out and painful way. Stradley, addressing the debate, famously asked, "What kind of cats do you guys have where you live?"