cats! cats! cats! cats! cats! cats! cats! cats!
Some of the Magical Cats you can find on Reath, from the next-to-mundane Maneki-Neko, to the fierce Lyon, and the highly magical nekomata. Cats come in all shapes and sizes, add a little bit of magic, and they diversify even more!
lore under the cut
Bakeneko
Bakeneko are seelie, intelligent, and sapient cats. Tricksters that have quite a bit in common with Common House Fae. They can shapeshift for short periods but prefer their true form of a large cat that walks on two legs. They are indistinguishable from a normal house cat, and many have been found in shelters or adopted by loving families as a way to live a comfortable life without having to worry about shelter or food. Overall, they are harmless; If discovered, they tend to flee their household, but others may choose to become a house fae. The worst the Bankeneko can do is play harmless tricks and light burglary.
Cat-Sìth
Cat-Sìth are seelie with many things in common with the Bakeneko. Though they are both intelligent and sapient cats, it is believed that this is a case of convergent evolution, as they both occupy the same niche but evolved thousands of miles apart. Cat-Sìth also have the ability to shapeshift, but it is limited to other animals; dogs and horses are the most common alternative form of this fae. Cat-Sìth are drawn to magic users, making themselves familiars in use, if not in construct. It is less common for Cat-Sìth to attempt to become family pets, preferring to ally themselves to magic users over living comfortable lives as a house pet.
Cath Palug
Cath Palug are amorphous, amalgams of the fractions of spirits of killed cats. Like most ghosts, the Cath Palug is not a single spirit, but rather many small fractions of spirits combined into a single form. While it is uncommon for animals to become spirits, there are several cases of Cath Palug throughout the Luscus continent. Depending on the number of spirits and how angry they were at the time of their death, the Cath Palug can be quite fearsome, large, and deadly; sometimes taking on the shape of a panther or lion as a way to defend itself.
Grimalkin
Grimalkin, aka 'Cheshire Cat'. The grimalkin is a true fae, unseelie, and only takes on a form resembling a large housecat. While friendly like most unseelie, the grimalkin has a difficult time understanding those of the material world, tricking them and deceiving others. It is unknown if the Grimalkin is outright hostile to humans and other physical beings, or if it simply lacks the ability to understand our limitations. There are stories of Grimalkin attempting to help those who have found themselves in fairylands, but in those reports, it is apparent that the Grimalkin only brought those lost further into the fay's court-- sometimes nearly ending in disaster.
Lyon
Lyon are a species of contradictions. Large and intimidating, but prone to phobias and anxiety themselves. giant predators whose horns cause their bites to be half the power of their physical world counterparts. Their iron-coated fur points them out in any forest. Lyons are intelligent if single-minded, friendly when in their home, but fierce outside of it. There are stories of Lyons assisting those lost in the fairylands, and unlike the Grimalkin, they truly do help to the best of their abilities, but those of stories are known for their cowardice as much as their assistance.
Maneki-Neko
Maneki-Neko were once normal cats. If it is a predisposition of a breed or a unique type of cat unto itself, the Maneki-Neko does have passive magical abilities and higher intelligence than their fully mundane counterparts. Maneki-Neko are always calico, and always have a shortened tail; The majority of Maneki-Neko are female, and while there appears to be a genetic aspect to the transformation into Maneki-Neko, it is a rare transformation. In a litter of kittens, if two or more show the preliminary signs of being a Maneki-Neko, it is less than a coin toss whether one or more of them will take on the secondary magical characteristics later in life.
Nekomata
Nekomata are mountain-dwelling demons who take on the form of cats. They are shapeshifters and highly dangerous. they have a fondness for music and mundane cats, but are hostile to humans, enjoying tricking them and hunting them for sport and food. Like all demons, Nekomata need to feed off of humans to survive. Unlike many other demons, Nekomata's feeding habits involve directly consuming the flesh of humans, rather than siphoning off life energy. Nekomata can take on the form of humans but have great distaste and malevolence for all humankind. Only hunting once or twice a year before returning to their secluded mountain homes
