Cait Sith

Cait Sith are solitary fae who can turn into a cat nine times in their lives, but the ninth time they remain a cat forever. Cait Sith can naturally channel a great deal of magic, more than the average fae, and they can speak with other animals when in their cat form. Unlike a true cat, they can also speak with humans in their cat form. Cait Sith have the aloof, attitude that a house cat possesses.

In Mythology and Folklore:

The Cait Sith (or cat-sìth) is a fairy creature from Celtic mythology, said to resemble a large black cat with a white spot on its chest. Legend has it that the spectral cat haunts the Scottish Highlands. The legends surrounding this creature are more common in Scottish folklore, but a few occur in Irish. Some common folklore suggested that the cat-sìth was not a fairy, but a witch that could transform into a cat nine times.

The cat-sìth may have been inspired by the Scottish wildcat itself. It is possible that the legends of the cat-sìth were inspired by Kellas cats, which are a distinctive hybrid between Scottish wildcats and domestic cats found only in Scotland (the Scottish wildcat is a population of the European wildcat, which is now absent from elsewhere in the British Isles.

Some people believed that the cat-sìth was a witch that could transform voluntarily into its cat form and back nine times. If one of these witches chose to go back into their cat form for the ninth time, they would remain a cat for the rest of their lives. It is believed by some that this is how the idea of a cat having nine lives originated. - Wikipedia

From The Books:

I followed the voice to a cage hanging in a corner of the room. A pair of golden eyes blinked at me from deep in the shadows. “You’re a cat,” I said, stupidly.

“I’m a Cait Sith,” corrected the sleek, black cat with a sniff. “And I’d appreciate it if you’d unlock my cage before you get yourself caught by Bronach.”

***

“The Cait Sith are a race of fae. Among our talents is the ability to shift between our cat form and fae form.”

“You mean, you can turn into a cat? Whenever you like?” That sounded handier than Gavin’s forced nightly transformation.

“Nine times. Nine times we can transform. If we become a cat a tenth time, we lose our fae form forever.”

Appearance: Fae form is like the Tuatha Dé Danann, cat form is like a house cat
Abilities: Can shift into a cat 9 times. If they shift a 10th time, they remain in cat form.
Kingdom: Seelie and Unseelie
Notable individuals: Liadan

Pronunciation: There is actually some disagreement online as the race is commonly pronounced "kate sihth" due to it's use in games, but Irish speakers would say "ket shee". So the latter is more correct, but you can use the former if you're used to it!


Article by Channon and Hanna