Domestic Cat

Tiny Beast

Household cats have several roles from companions of gods to guardians against the rodents and other pests. These tiny felines are fluffy, adorable, and quite sure that humanoids only exist to amuse them. And who knows, maybe they are right.

This domesticated, small carnivorous mammal has long been both loved and feared by the people, and seen as omentellers by some religions. It is no wonder that many magically inclined prefer the company of cats.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Agility and flexibility are typical features to most cats. They have four legs and usually a tail for balancing, though some cats are born without one. Their paws have redactable claws, they have (mostly) sharp, pointy ears, and two long canine teeth.

Additional Information

Domestication

Historically, smaller wild cats originally found their home near humanoid settlements, as their lifestyle started to attract small pests like rodents. This seems to the most common way on which populations of domesticated cats have come to be, out of the symbiotic relationship they have formed with the humanoids.

Due to their original usage as the exterminator of pests, cats tend to be more feral and independent than most domesticated animals. That said, their personalities are more fit for living in packs and with humanoids than their wild counterparts.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The unusual senses that the cats have made them not only wanted for pest control but as wards against evil. This can manifest as communities feeding and taking care of cats and reading omens from their behaviour, or in some cultures, cats are sacrificed in believe that it pleases higher powers. Cats are known as the favoured companions of spellcasters, by everyone from high ranking archmages to terrifying fey hags.

Goblinoid mages are known to use parts of dead cats as spell components, and killing cats to feast on them, in hopes of gaining their power. Black cats are free from this fate though and instead considered sacred.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Cats have a keen sense of smell and the ability to see in the dark. Even when seemingly asleep, they seem to sense the smallest things, sometimes things so small that their senses are considered supernatural.

Origin/Ancestry

Beast, Feline

Lifespan

2 to 16 years

Average Height

~ 23 to 25 cm

Average Weight

~ 4 to 5 kg

Average Length

~ 46 cm + ~ 30 cm long tail

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Messengers and Eyes of Gods

Many deities and Grand souls are known to have connections to cats, and use them as messengers or as their eyes in the Prime Material plane. For this reason, it is often believed, and sometimes even proven that at least some cats are able to sense magical powers, ghostly beings and other supernatural entities.

Cats have the most universal and strong association to goddess Sharess, Goddess of lust, passion, temptation and hedonism. She is often depicted as a beautiful woman with the head of a cat, and the cats roam freely in her temples.

Some fiends and fey have also shown interest in cats, making them feared in some communities.