Familiar: yes
Spirit Animal: Yes
Spirit Guide: yes
Totem: Yes
Mythical: No
Supernatural: Yes
Lithe and silent, the cat comes and goes of its own accord, its natural hunting instincts often emerging suddenly and unexpectedly from a veneer of domestication. It has contradictory nature, in which an appreciation of human affection is combined with a strong independence. Humans tend to either like or dislike members of the cat family. Unfortunately, much of the dislike springs form propaganda put out in campaigns by monotheistic religions over many centuries in an attempt to dissociate people from goddess worship.
Cats are considered good fortune in many cultures and a cat in the home is good for both the feline and human inhabitants. The cat was an animal of the goddess. Feline deities are often associated with magic, beauty, and fertility, though each should be greeted and met with on her own merits and strengths. The cat, especially the black cat, along with the owl, bat, and wolf, were the animals most commonly associated with not only goddesses, but witches and magic, which become even more extreme during the witch frenzies of the middle ages.
Cats were first domesticated by the Egyptians and were immediately accepted into the temples and households, where they were pampered and spoiled. They, in return, guarded granaries from rodents and kept the households free of snakes. The ancestors of the domestic cat were probably the African wild cat and/or the Kaffir cat. Through Egyptian influence, domesticated cats were dispersed around the Mediterranean area. Egyptians gave the cat the name mau after the sound it makes. A black cat was especially lucky and was the emblem used by physicians to advertise their services.
Cats were sacred to Bast/Bastet, Pasht, Sekhmet, and a number of other cat goddesses. Cats came to be considered sacred animals and this veneration was well established by at least 1570 BC and by 950BC was found in all of Egypt. Praised for controlling vermin and its ability to kill mice, rats, and snakes such as cobras, the domesticated cat became a symbol of grace and poise. Bastet represented the gentler aspects of the cat while Pasht signified the more aggressive aspects. Bast/Bastet and Pasht were said to have had the body of a woman and the head of a cat. Since the Egyptians believed that both these deities had nine lives, they also believed that all cats did as well.
In Germany and some other Spanish speaking countries, cats are believed to have 7 lives while in more Arabic countries and Turkey, cats are said to only have 6 lives.
The temple cats of Bastet, upon death, were mummified and buried with great ceremony in special cat cemeteries with elaborate funerary rites. Even cats of the common people were mourned upon their deaths and the family shaved their eyebrows as a symbol of grief. The Ancient Egyptian cult of the cat was so strong that the punishment for killing a cat was the death penalty.
In Celtic traditions, cats were associated with Underworld powers, the dead, and prophecy. Often they were portrayed as evil creatures but this may have been because the wild cats in Celtic countries were untamed. Irish legends tell of a cat called Little Cat, who was a guardian of treasure. In Wales, Great Cat was a powerful being born of Henwen, an enchanted sow. In parts of Yorkshire, the wives of fisherman keep black cats at home to ensure their husbands’ safety at sea. In Southern England, a black cat crossing the path of a bride as she leaves the church is said to grant a fortunate marriage. A sneezing cat is said to bring good luck to a bride, as well as being a sign of rain.
In Norse mythology, Freya, queen of the Valkyries and goddess of fertility, drove a chariot pulled by 2 cats. Cats were harbingers of coming prosperity and good fortune. A cat of 3 colors is extremely lucky and will keep a house from harm while a smutty nosed cat will bring wealth to its companions. After the people converted to Christianity, Freya became a witch and her cats became black horses possessed by the devil. The new legend said that after seven years, the cat-horses earned the right to become witches disguised as black cats. This rewrite of the Norse goddess story may be the origin of the unlucky black cat superstition. Those taught to fear the devil would consider black cats to be his evil helpers.
Witch Tip: Stroking a cat’s tail nine times grants good luck in love.
The domestic cat is the quintessential witch’s familiar in Western traditions. Early Christians made the cat a symbol of fertility, but with the spread of the faith through the Roman Empire, pagan deities, such as the goddess of liberty whose cat represented a lack of restraint, were branded as demons. Cats became the spawn of Satan, and the “familiars” of witches. Cats are independent and cannot be controlled, which gives them an air of mystery that lends credence to their reputation as good familiars for witches. Familiars are creatures, usually animals, that serve as both helper and companion to someone in the work of magic.
In Medieval Europe, witches were believed to ride cats to sabbats, and to suckle them with a third nipple. Black cats especially were supposed to be willing helpers of witches, and used their supernatural knowledge to participate in nightly ceremonies that conjured up the Evil One. Cats were said to hold the spirit of the witch they belong to and will protect them against evil. The light reflective eyes of the cat, which are an adaptation to aid its night vision, were interpreted as the flaming eyes of the devil. It is said that cats will suck away the breath of children, invalids, and sleeping people, leaving them weak or even killing them. This erroneous superstition developed during the witch frenzy of the middle ages.
So pervasive were the beliefs among Protestants during the 17th century witch crazed years that thousands of cats were burned alive inside wooden effigies of the Pope, adding the annihilation of a demon spirit to the symbolic destruction of Catholicism. In France, during the 17th and 18th centuries, cat burnings were in vogue. It was exactly like it sounds: burning a sack of cats for good luck. Sometimes there were not enough cats and so a fox was added. It was considered extremely tasteful entertainment as cats were considered symbols of witchcraft.
Cats are seen as evil shape shifters in China and a curse was placed on the cat for not having wept at the death of the Buddha. Chinese legend says that the cat was a Yin animal connected with evil, the night, and shape shifting. They believed that the appearance of a strange cat foreshadowed a change in fortune and that a black cat meant sickness or misfortune.
In Japan, however, the cat was considered to be a positive powered animal, a creature symbolizing peace and transformation. Cats were popular with Japanese sailors, for they said that the animals had power over the dead and kept away evil spirits that dwelt in the ocean. Although some of their legends tell how the cat was full of trickery and sometimes associated with ghosts, the Japanese still hold the animal in high esteem.
Siamese cats were traditional guardians of temples and palaces in Thailand. Siamese were said to have crossed eyes and a kinked tail because it concentrated so hard on the objects it was guarding, and wrapped its tail around them for protection.
cats are both tame and wild, symbolizing the harnessing of natural powers through magic. Cats’ intense gaze, silent movements, and seemingly psychic perceptions have long inspired human spirituality. Indeed, many modern witches share their homes with feline companions and familiars. Cats make excellent spirit guides. They are independent and self assured, while always searching for the hidden with their sense of curiosity. And while they can be unpredictable, they are still very intelligent.
In 9 lifetimes, you will never know as much about your cat as your cat knows about you…. But you will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange cats.
Mysteries will unfold in life if a cat has come around. They are observant and patient creatures and very analytically capable. Cats show how to clarify perceptions which allows new ideas to manifest, encourages mental and emotional agility due to their resilient behavior, aids in being resourceful, and teaches courage and confidence.
Many housecats like to hang out with their people in rituals for the sake of sheer curiosity and companionship. Some will also lend their energies to magical workings and may alert their owners of the presence of spirits. Cats combine sensuality and sensibility, independence and resourcefulness. They teach us to balance the physical world with a deep awareness of nature and spirit.
Witch Tip: A bit of shed cat fur can be added to a spell for grace, peacefulness, or resourcefulness.
Do you need to be more independent? Are you using your resources to the best of your ability? Is it time to start a new project? Stop over analyzing everything. Cats will show how to continue the process of opening your intuition for soul growth. Follow your instincts when it comes to conforming and trust in your own abilities. You are very capable of doing anything you set your mind to.
Cats are magical protectors, especially when faced with a confrontational situation. They have skill in Knowing when to fight your way out of a bad situation and when to retreat. Unlike some other animals, cats are not afraid of unseen spirit beings.
Cats are a very appealing totem animal. Cats are incredibly psychic and working with feline energy will help to develop your intuition. The 19th century English made sure their children played with cats to help develop their clairvoyant capabilities. There has long been a belief that cats have strong mediumistic powers, an attribute that has been associated with the beauty of their eyes. Yet it can also be suggested that their domestication has allowed them the luxury of time to develop their natural psychic powers.
House cats are often drawn to spiritual energy, especially when that energy is being used for healing or in ceremony. Cats purr at a vibration within a range of 20-140hz which are medically therapeutic for many diseases. Petting a purring cat calms down and lowers stress while cat owners have 40% less risk of heart attacks. The vibrations have been found to be helpful for healing tendons and muscles, as well as infections and swelling. Frequencies of 25 and 50hz are the best and 100 and 200hz the second best frequencies for promoting bone strength. Their purrs have been found to lower blood pressure. It can be lowered as well just by interacting with the cat. A cat’s purr has also been noted to lowering dysponea symptoms. Their purr is a healing vibration that is especially effective when they lie on the part of you that is hurting. The underlying bond that connects a cat to a witch, or to a healing need, is love, and Cat’s journey in the Cauldron is about self love.
Not every cat is a familiar but we can learn many things from every kitty. Their famous catnaps remind us to rest, while their blend of independence and socialization models a good balance between me time and us time.
Luck and Black Cats
Unfortunately, black cats really do have bad luck when it comes to getting adopted. 13% of Americans are superstitious of black cats crossing their path. 26.1% said color was important when adopting a new cat.
In the Middle Ages, black cats were often portrayed as the familiars of witches, which is likely to be the origin of the distrust with which they are regarded today. Medieval Pope Gregory IX considered cats to be the incarnation of Satan, leading to a mass killing of cats. This caused the rat population to swell, which quickened the spread of the Bubonic Plague, also known as the ‘Black Death’. Many religious communities continue to reject and associate them with the devil and witchcraft. An old book from 1584 called “beware the Cat” gives warning that black cats are witches in disguise and that killing a cat does not necessarily mean killing the witch, for a witch can take on the body of a cat nine times. Many countries consider it a bad sign if a black cat crosses your path because it means you have been noticed by the devil.
In England, however, giving a bride a black cat is believed to bring her good luck. White cats are actually considered unlucky. According to Scottish lore, a black cat’s appearance at your home leads to great wealth. It was a sign of coming prosperity. In Scotland, the Mother of Witches was called the Mither O’ Mawkins (cats). It was said that the grey blossoms of the pussy willow were sacred to witches because they were the souls of unborn cats.
Viking cats were not your standard Felis Domesticus. They were Skogkatt (Norwegian word meaning ‘forest cat’), a wild breed native to the North. In Norwegian folklore, these cats were sometimes called Huldrekat (huldre are female forest spirits, literally, ‘the hidden folk’). Vikings used to give kittens to new brides as an essential part of a new household. Cats were considered appropriate since they were associated with Freyja, the goddess of love. Cats also kept the mouse population under control which could severely affect the family food storages during the winter months.
In an effort to get people to adopt black cats, one Nevada shelter put on an “Adopt your own Mini Panther” campaign. All 18 black cats they had were adopted. Some organizations do not allow adoptions of black cats during the month of September and October for fear of animal cruelty which then lessens their chances of being adopted.
August 17th is National Black Cat Appreciation Day.
They are not a superstition and do not bring bad luck! They are beautiful, loving, and intelligent creatures who should never be passed up for adoption because of the color of their fur. Black cats steal hearts, not souls.
Danger Level: Safe
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