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I suddenly find my self in the possession of some ones familiar. It's been known that this cat absolutely hates me, and i it, but i made a promise to take care of it and it's companion is...unfortunately dead.

I my self have My own familiar, a lab who's been with me since i was like, 7.

it seems wrong to just consider the cat a pet because gods know that she was around Alex when he was doing "magic" and other rituals, some good, some...not so much but at the same time, my dog has been my own for far to long.

I can't just knock her down to pet level, but do i really have the right to claim her as my familiar?

I guess if the cat trusted me, it would be alright but...i'm not sure she does. I trust it well enough but doesn't the trust have to be returned?
I'm so confused


Please help guide me in what to do.

A thought - a cursory look at internet references on 'familiars' leads me to wonder how much of what we assume we know a 'familiar' to be rests on sources such as witch trial transcripts. An accused 'witch' would be compelled to reveal who or what his/her 'familiar' was. It makes me wonder if the conception of 'familiar' as a vessel for a demon was a belief imposed by prosecutors and not actually used by witches, themselves.

I think of a 'familiar' as a spirit helper, one made manifest in our world, usually as an animal, distinct from a noncorporeal spirit helper. I suppose the spirit could be negative, and thus demonic, but can be a positive influence or somewhat of a trickster. I had a canine familiar for awhile but she is gone now. My current canine companion does not have the same talents.

I think Yanueh is right - you're a caretaker and you need not consider the cat as either being a familiar for you or as a pet. Think of the arrangement as temporary - the cat is waiting to find a new relationship.

Yeah, that's closer. Back waaaaaay back when, a familiar was a spirit that the witch or whatever consulted for information. During the era of the witchhunt, people believed that peoples' pets were actually familiar spirits, demons, or the devil shapeshifted into the form of a pet. (What was it with Europeans and shapeshifters?) I'm pretty sure the concept of a real, actual animal as a familiar is relatively new.

I had a cat that I called my wiccan kitty. I dunno if I would've considered him a familiar... he was around every time I was making a ceremony, and funny enough, even if he was very active and playful, when I was making a ceremony he was always quiet and respectful. He loved to be around the fairies, and they loved him too. Does he counts as a familiar? I dunno. I saw him more like a friend.
Maybe if you think if the cat as a friend you'll find the best way. If you were to find a person in such a situation... you'd need to build confidence and trust first, make him an acquaintance, then a friend... and as a friend, it would take a good bunch of love to trust him with something as delicate as your believes. Just take it easy.