Do cats have magic or affect your magic? I was wondering because I’m studying witchcraft. I have six cats.

Merry Meet! 

What an interesting question; I’m glad you asked!  Cats and religion have historically been closely linked.  Cats were once even worshiped as incarnations of gods, a fact that your cats frequently remind you of, I’m certain.  But the pertinent link here is that of the Cat with the religion of Witchcraft.

There have always been cat-lovers and cat-haters; you can tell which is which (or witch!) by whether their description of a feline is “sneaky” or “sinuous.”  Personally, I believe that the superstition of “cats as the Devil’s emissary” came about through kitty’s unnerving stare, as if they can, indeed, see into your soul, or are looking at something our earthly eyes cannot see.  My guess is that some folks didn’t want to see into their OWN souls, and blamed the cat.  But I digress. 

The bloody history of cat and witch is horrifying and fascinating.  During the “Burning Times” in Europe and Britain, cats were ordered to be burned to death with their mistresses, when the women were accused and convicted of Witchcraft.  (Witches were thought to have caused the Black Plague with their unholy magick; those poor souls were green witches, herbalists, trying to help the ill!)  Pope Innocent VIII even issued a decree in 1484 denouncing all cats and anyone who owned one.  At cat-burning festivals, hundreds of hapless cats were burned at once.  By the end of the Burning Times, over 200,000 witches had been executed, along with literally millions of cats.  Hard to believe now, but the species was, at that time, at the brink of extinction.

Witches were always thought to have “familiars” to aid them in their magick, usually a small animal such as a hedgehog, a toad, or most frequently, a cat.  Of course, black cats got the brunt of the bad reputation, a superstition that survives into the present day.  (Black cats have a far lesser chance of adoption from humane shelters than their lighter brethren.)  But enough history —  now, on to your actual question!

Yes, cats (being closer to the natural world) seem to have an affinity for both positive and negative energies, and are adept at showing you through their behavior which type of energy is affecting your spells.  They can also have a positive effect on the spells you cast, if any of them is indeed a “familiar.”  Take time to notice small things about your cats.  Do any of them show a particular interest when you are casting or meditating?  Does your magick work better when any one (or more) of them are near?  If so, then the Universe has blessed you with a familiar!  You may wish to try to find out this helpful spirit’s heart-name; my guess is that it isn’t “Fluffy.” 

As far as cats having their own magick…other than an affinity towards energies, I know of none.  And I’ve asked my cats…but so far, they’re not telling.