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Do My Cats Know?

Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 9:41 pm
by casnarl
I've had this question since I first decided to start learning spells a month ago. Every time I go to do a spell my cats follow me. They follow me while I'm collecting all the supplies around my house, they follow me while I set up, they watch me while I do the spell, and they follow me while I put everything away.

Is this just cats being curious, or do they somehow in their little pea brains know what I'm doing and are they helping? I know in media cats are associated with witches and magic (for example in the game the sims 2 your witch when skilled enough can cast a cat familiar), but what is the truth to this?

I told my grandma about it and she thinks they're just being curious and maybe are fascinated by the fire from the candles or all the smells and scents, but I think there's more to it because like I said they follow me the entire time and it's both of my cats.

Or, is it just because they love me and want to be where I am? :lol:

(I just decided to move this here from another part on the forum since I'm new and didn't scroll down enough before....now seeing there's lots of other topics with cats in the title. I'm going to read through all those but will also post my own)

Re: Do My Cats Know?

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:04 am
by planewalker
How old are they? What sex are they? Have they been spayed or neutered? How long have you had them? Have they been mostly your cats {as much as anybody "owns" a cat. They let us stay in their house because they have no thumbs to operate a can opener},sleep on your bed, you feed them and that type of thing?

Re: Do My Cats Know?

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 10:43 am
by SpiritTalker
My cat's like to know what's going on. They normally follow me from one room to another, unless they're asleep after breakfast. Then you can hear the snoring. Most cat's will sit on your altar bcs that's where the toys are, or not ON it...amidst it, as part of the decor. My male cat has stolen my wand off my altar so often that I hide it. Also, watch your cat's when you cast circle. That tells a lot. A really aware cat will stalk the rim, whether inside or out, but not cross the border, for a while at least, Then sit and watch. A furry slob just wanders all over.

Re: Do My Cats Know?

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:40 pm
by casnarl
Planewalker,

A boy named Zook and girl named Sophie. Brother and sister. We adopted them as kittens from the humane society about 7-8 years ago. The girl was meant to be mine so I named her and boy was meant to be my brother's so he named him. I consider Sophie my baby but I love them both equally and I know they love the 4 of us equally (assuming cats love us like we love them). I feed, I play, I do the litter boxes, I clean up the half-digested plants they eat around the house, etc. They also both sleep on my bed (making it harder for me to sleep :P ) I am home the most so they see me the most. I talk to them when I'm sad. I don't know what I'd do without them.

SpiritTalker, I'll have to pay attention to the circle more. What I notice is both of them follow me while I get all my supplies since I don't keep most of it in one place (though I should probably get some bins or something) and then once I'm all set up Sophie sort of sits off to the side by the door and just watches, and Zook tries to stick his nose in the candles and I have to put my hand up for fear he'll knock it over. And then they follow me while I put everything back, then go sleep somewhere. So maybe Sophie knows what's going on, but I think Zook might be the furry slob you mentioned :P

Re: Do My Cats Know?

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:25 pm
by planewalker
They're old enough to be a familiar. They are still young enough to just be curious and want to do what mom is doing. Yes I think they love us as we love them and you are definitely "their Mom". Do as Spirit suggests and also watch if they go to your altar by themselves to "hang out".

Re: Do My Cats Know?

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 3:33 pm
by blue_moon
My cats are always around as well. My old lady will come and lay by my side when ever she wishes.
My little cat boy follows me everywhere! He has to see what "mommy's" doing and where she is going. I locked him in his no go rooms so many times.

Good advice spirit!

Think my little man is just curious. We'll find out.

Re: Do My Cats Know?

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 5:09 pm
by SpiritTalker
Zook sounds like a curious fella, pushing his nose in anywhere to snooper-vise & Sophie seems to like to observe. My male cat is under foot whenever I change locations, no matter how many times I go back n forth. If we're in the kitchen he is one step ahead for every trip to the 'fridge and back. He will also jump onto my shoulder from out of nowhere to nuzzle his head against my ear. One time I ducked...he landed in a sink full of soapy dishes with a splash and crash, followed by scatter-paws and a hasty soap bubble trail :lol: There's not much hope for a magical assistant, but a great buddy :wink: is cherished.

Re: Do My Cats Know?

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 6:04 pm
by casnarl
So, does it help spells to have them around, or not really?

Re: Do My Cats Know?

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 8:37 pm
by planewalker
Depends on if they are a familiar. I had a couple girls that were great shakes. I had another cat that was dumb as a bag of anvils, but somebody had to watch out for her.

Re: Do My Cats Know?

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:33 pm
by casnarl
Is there a topic on here to find out if one of them is my familiar? Or is that something you'd just know?

Re: Do My Cats Know?

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 11:07 pm
by planewalker
Rely on Spirit, she can help.

Re: Do My Cats Know?

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 1:44 pm
by Crazy Cat Lady
How do your cats act the rest of the time? Do they follow you like that for mundane things too? Or just while you are doing witchy things? And sometimes it's what they *don't* do- we have a few who are very interested, and will sit and watch intently. Under normal circumstances they would be stealing our 'toys' or rolling around on the table knocking everything off in order to be the center of our attention, but while we are working magic they sit quietly nearby, watching our every move and never interfering. It's a little eerie, lol.

Re: Do My Cats Know?

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 8:42 pm
by casnarl
Crazy Cat Lady wrote:Do they follow you like that for mundane things too? Or just while you are doing witchy things?
The rest of the time they're usually off sleeping somewhere, so it's only when I'm doing witchy things. Although to be fair the rest of the time I'm sitting and gaming, so they might just see me moving around and feel they need to move too.

Re: Do My Cats Know?

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2018 9:18 pm
by Crazy Cat Lady
Do they follow you to the bathroom or kitchen for a drink? If not, I would say they are aware.

Re: Do My Cats Know?

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2018 11:23 pm
by SpiritTalker
Gadzooks! I'd just written a long piece and this danged thing logged me out! That's 2 times today! Lost it.
So, here's a summary.

What we know about familiars comes from the witchcraft trials. Familiars were employed by witches to spy on the competition (in what we might today call remote viewing), or were visible animal forms the witch's projected spirit assumed out of body, or were spirits who stayed with a family thru generations. In all recorded cases that I've read, familiars were considered some kind of a spirit being. Not pets.

Witches kept toads for their hallucinogenic secretions used with toxic herbs for flying ointments. Flying equates with out of body projection. This goes along with spirit projections as visible animal forms. There are reports of injuries done to the animal form also appearing on the witch's physical form. Witches and normies alike kept cat's to chase vermin. There are old woodcuts depicting witches hanged with their cat's, rats and hares. There is no way to know if these were superstitious fears of the artist re: physical animals or spirit projections misunderstood as physical. Spirit travel is historically valid amongst shamanic practices from which WC stems and was practiced by specific types of witches.

It is persecution, misunderstanding by modern pop culture and films that reduced familiar spirits to being pets. All animals can sense energies that a human can't. They will sit still & observe. That is normal animal behavior, and we can use our pet's natural responses to subtle energies as guides to tip us off. This isnt magical cooperation so much as plain communication. Watch the animal's response to your cast circle; if the casting was a good job they probably sense the energy & won't cross it. (I've even seen a bat outdoors circle the actual rim of my circle twice and not cross the boundary.) When their behavior tells us our circle is a good one, we can use the cone of power to assist our endeavors. Just by letting them be the animals they are naturally meant to be is how pets help. They do not supplement our energy. They tip us off to energy changes. If we steal energy from a pet it's vampirism, not witchcraft.