The Witch's Familiar: Cats, Toads & Animal Companions
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Introduction: When Pets Became Demons
In the witch trials, keeping a pet could get you killed. A cat sleeping by your fire, a toad in your garden, a dog following you home—these ordinary animal companions were reframed as familiars, demonic spirits in animal form sent by the Devil to serve witches.
The concept of the familiar was particularly strong in England and Scotland, where hundreds of women were accused of keeping demons disguised as animals. The persecution of familiars revealed deep anxieties about female independence, companionship, and the bonds between women and animals—bonds that threatened patriarchal control.
This is the twelfth article in our Witch Hunts series. We now explore the demonization of animal companions, why cats became symbols of witchcraft, and how the familiar became one of the most enduring witch stereotypes.
What Was a Familiar?
The Concept
Definition: A familiar (or familiar spirit) was believed to be a demon in animal form that served a witch
Functions:
- Carried out the witch's malevolent commands
- Spied on neighbors
- Caused harm to people, animals, crops
- Provided supernatural knowledge
- Sealed the Devil's pact (witch fed familiar with blood)
Common Familiar Forms
- Cats (especially black cats)
- Toads and frogs
- Dogs (small breeds)
- Hares and rabbits
- Birds (crows, ravens, owls)
- Mice and rats
- Ferrets and weasels
- Insects (flies, bees, spiders)
Regional Differences
- England: Familiars central to witch beliefs, detailed descriptions in trials
- Scotland: Familiars mentioned but less emphasized
- Continental Europe: Less focus on familiars, more on Devil's pact and sabbaths
- New England: Familiars featured in Salem and other trials
The Black Cat: Icon of Witchcraft
Why Cats?
Practical reasons:
- Elderly women (common witch accusation targets) often kept cats for companionship
- Cats controlled rodents (practical for poor households)
- Cats are independent, nocturnal, mysterious
- Cats' eyes glow in darkness (seemed supernatural)
Cultural associations:
- Ancient Egypt: Cats sacred to goddess Bastet
- Norse mythology: Goddess Freyja's chariot pulled by cats
- Medieval Europe: Cats associated with paganism
- Cats' independence = female independence = threatening
Why Black Cats Specifically?
- Black = color of Devil and evil
- Black cats harder to see at night (mysterious, sneaky)
- Black cats' eyes more striking in darkness
- Superstition: Black cats crossing path = bad luck
The Cat Massacres
Medieval Europe: Mass killings of cats, especially black cats
- Cats thrown from towers during festivals
- Cats burned alive in bonfires
- Cats hunted and killed as Devil's servants
Consequence: Rat population exploded, contributing to spread of plague (rats carried fleas with plague bacteria)
Irony: Killing cats (which controlled rats) worsened the very disasters blamed on witches
Famous Familiars from Witch Trials
Matthew Hopkins's Familiars (England, 1640s)
Who: Matthew Hopkins, "Witchfinder General"
Method: Watched accused witches for days to see if familiars visited
Elizabeth Clarke's familiars (1645):
- Holt: White kitten
- Jarmara: Fat spaniel with no legs
- Vinegar Tom: Greyhound with ox head
- Sack and Sugar: Black rabbit
- Newes: Polecat
Note: These descriptions suggest hallucinations, sleep deprivation, or fabrication
The Pendle Familiars (England, 1612)
Alizon Device's familiar: Black dog named Ball
Old Demdike's familiar: Spirit named Tibb (appeared as boy, then brown dog)
Old Chattox's familiar: Unnamed spirit
Salem Familiars (Massachusetts, 1692)
Tituba's confession:
- Yellow bird
- Hog
- Black dog
- Red cat
Sarah Good: Accused of having yellow bird familiar
The Witch's Mark: Feeding the Familiar
The Belief
Theory: Witches fed familiars with their own blood from a special teat ("witch's mark")
Evidence sought: Extra nipples, moles, warts, birthmarks, scars
The Search
Procedure:
- Accused stripped naked
- Body shaved completely
- Every inch examined for marks
- Marks pricked with needles
- If mark didn't bleed or hurt = Devil's mark (guilty)
Reality:
- Everyone has moles, birthmarks, scars
- Elderly women have more skin irregularities
- Prickers sometimes used retractable needles (fraud)
- Impossible to prove innocence
The Toad: Humble Familiar
Why Toads?
- Common in gardens (where women worked)
- Ugly, warty appearance (associated with evil)
- Secretions can be toxic (seemed poisonous)
- Used in folk medicine (toad skin secretions)
- Associated with witches' brews and potions
Toad Accusations
- Keeping toads as pets = witchcraft
- Toads in garden = familiars
- Using toads in remedies = making poisons
Why Familiars? The Psychology
Loneliness and Companionship
Who kept pets:
- Elderly women living alone
- Widows without family
- Spinsters (unmarried women)
- Poor women with no human companionship
Why this was threatening:
- Women finding comfort outside patriarchal family structure
- Independence from male companionship
- Emotional bonds not controlled by men
- Animals as substitute for children/husbands
Talking to Animals
Normal behavior: People talk to pets
Reframed as: Conversing with demons, giving commands to familiars
Evidence: Witnesses claimed to hear accused talking to animals
Projection of Malice
- If neighbor's cow died after cat visited = familiar killed it
- If child got sick after seeing woman's dog = familiar cursed child
- Natural animal behavior reinterpreted as demonic action
The Familiar in Popular Culture
The Enduring Stereotype
Modern witch imagery:
- Witch with black cat (Halloween decorations)
- Witch with toad in cauldron
- Witch with crow or raven
- Witch with owl
Origin: Directly from witch trial accusations
Reclaiming the Familiar
Modern witches and pagans:
- Embrace animal companions as spiritual allies
- Cats as sacred to goddess traditions
- Animals as teachers and guides
- Reclaiming the witch-animal bond
The Gender of Animal Companionship
Women and Animals
Why women-animal bonds were threatening:
- Women's emotional lives outside male control
- Animals as companions = less need for husbands
- Women's nurturing directed at animals, not children
- Independent women with independent animals
Men and Animals
Men's animals:
- Horses, hunting dogs, livestock = acceptable (economic, masculine)
- Working animals = tools, not companions
- Rarely accused of having familiars
Women's animals:
- Cats, small dogs, pet birds = suspicious (companionship, feminine)
- Companion animals = emotional bonds
- Frequently accused of being familiars
The Legacy: Superstition and Shelter Cats
Black Cat Superstitions Today
- Black cats = bad luck (Western cultures)
- Black cats = good luck (UK, Japan)
- Black cats hardest to adopt from shelters
- Black cats euthanized at higher rates
- Halloween: Shelters won't adopt black cats (fear of abuse)
The Witch Hunt Legacy
Lasting impact:
- Fear of black cats persists 300+ years later
- Witch-cat association in popular culture
- Discrimination against black cats in adoption
Reclaiming the Black Cat
- Black cat appreciation movements
- Witches and pagans adopting black cats
- Challenging superstitions
- Celebrating the witch-cat bond
Conclusion: The Companionship Crime
The persecution of familiars was about punishing women for finding companionship, comfort, and independence outside patriarchal structures. Elderly women with cats, lonely widows with dogs, herbalists with toads—these bonds threatened a system that demanded women be dependent on men.
In the next article, we will explore Flying Ointments & Sabbats: The Mythology of Witchcraft. We will examine the fantastical accusations of flying to sabbaths, the alleged ingredients of flying ointments, and how these myths revealed more about accusers' anxieties than accused witches' practices.
They killed women for loving animals. They called it fighting evil. We call it cruelty.
For the women who found comfort in cats. For the black cats killed as demons. For the bonds between women and animals. We remember and we honor.
As you walk this path with your animal companions by your side, consider deepening your bond through shared rituals that honor the mystical connection between your spirits—perhaps lighting a Fortuna Favens a magic circle of fortune scented soy candle to create a sacred space for quiet meditation together, or reflecting on the archetypal energies of your familiar using the Jung and the archetype tarot astrology and the bridge of the unconscious guide, all while aligning your practice with the celestial rhythms through the cosmic alignment ritual kit for syncing with the celestial flow to strengthen the magical partnership you share.
