Familiars? Advice needed.

[[.Rikocette.Echoes.]]

Hi, I'm Riko. ^__^ I just joined and this is my first post asking for some advice - I'd really appreciate any help you can give me!

I've recently been poking my nose into Wicca. I've attempted a few things, and I've been told by some of my Wiccan friends- and an energy reader- that I could be powerful and good. Here lately I've been doing more research, though, and a few days ago something strange happened.
My friend Kimberly is Wiccan, and she's a really huge cat person. There are these two cats that she always talked about, strays, that would come by her house and she'd feed them all the time. I was walking with her and my friend Cody[not quite Wiccan, but powerful energy-wise. he has his own strange path he follows] and we ran into this gorgeous black cat. She was young-looking, couldn't have been over six or so months old, and Kim told us that this was one of the cats she would always feed, the younger of the two. So we hang out for a while the cat, and eventually Kim goes home. I kind of expected the cat to hang by Kim's, but she didn't. Cody and I were still walking around my neighborhood for a few hours, and this cat followed us the /whole way/. I figured she belonged to somebody; she looked really well-kept- healthy, and she was friendly too. Cody's always had cats follow him everywhere, so I guessed that she hung around because of him. After he went home, though, I walked in my back door, turned around and realized she was still right there.
There was such a weird magnetic pull between us. It was strange. But my parents don't want a cat, and even though it was really cold out, they wouldn't let me take her inside, so I had to leave her there on the back porch. eventually I kind of forgot about it, worked on my homework and stuff, but a few hours later when I passed by the back door again later, she was still in the same exact spot she had been before. It was the most terrible feeling, knowing she was outside cold and I was in here warm. I knew if she had anywhere else to go she would have gone by now - it had been hours, and we had only just met that one day, so I had no clue how she could be so attached to me already.
A few days passed, and she figured out my schedule. every morning I wake up really early, and right before I leave for school - just as the sun's rising - she shows up at my back door. I started leaving milk out there for her, and got a little bowl of cat food from my neighbor. After a while my parents realized how attached I was and finally let me take her inside. eventually we came up with a name for her - Isadora (Isa or Izzy for short). It means 'gift of the moon', which is so perfect because the night I met her I know it was relatively close to a full moon; plus, she's all black except for /one/ little spot, which is a perfectly round circle on her belly.

This story has a point, I promise.

Now, though I've only been recently poking into Wicca, I've known for a while about Familiars. From what I've been told, Familiars are guardian-like things that can come in the form of animals to help new witches ease their way into the craft. Somehow I'm really convinced that Isa is my Familiar. We have this really strange..connection, if you will. A meow from her means so much more than 'feed me' or 'give me attention'. I was talking with my boyfriend about maybe advancing further into Wicca, and letting him train me and help me get ahold of my energy and stuff. When we started talking about it, she started twitching her tail in a weird, agitated fashion, but when I mentioned starting my own Book of Shadows and a few other things, she cried out awkwardly and looked really on edge. That one little sound registered automatically in my brain as 'no, you're not ready'. It was almost like she had actually spoken aloud.

Anyway, what I'm wanting to know is: with the information at hand, does this seem like the case of a Familiar? If so, is there anything I should know, as far as taking care of her and interacting with her and such? I've been trying to do some research at school while I have time, but most of the websites that look like they would be helpful are blocked from the school computers. :/ Any help is much appreciated!  

[Clair Fay]

If you feel that Isa is your Familiar, feel it within you, and from what you're discribing, then yes, I would definitely say that she is your Familiar. (And personally, I'm a bit jealous of your connection! biggrin My cat, whom I call my familiar but I don't feel 100% that he is, and I don't have that at all. All in time I suppose.)

Personally, I don't identify with exactly Wicca, but I am Pagan and a very active Witch, which, in many cases, may as well be the same things (granted not all). But from my studies, familiars come to us in many different fashions and forms--cats and dogs are simply the most common of them. And how you communicate with them varies--personally, I tend to just talk to people, spirits, or animals and even plants when I need to communicate. But that's just me because it feels the most comfortable and right. (And it's funny to watch others' reactions, especially when I'm responding to people's thoughts or to a spirit.) Again, though, this depends on you two. Pendulum, ouiji board, mentally, verbally... it all depends on how you two are. Just make sure to listen to her--she will lead you in the right direction.  

[[.Rikocette.Echoes.]]

Yeah, I am kind of sure that she's definitely here for a reason. One thing, though, is that I'm not positive that she's here for just me. Because, she was hanging around Kimberly first, and then when Cody was over she was positively glued to him. She seems to have more of a connection to him than to me, somehow, but I'm around more - and she stays over here, not with him. So I'm kinda confused about that.  

[Clair Fay]

Everything happens for a reason, and that goes with things and people in your life as well. But it sounds, though. as she's there for all of you. Sometimes familiars, especially those who were strays, are there for multiple people, depending on what's in their life.

Again, though, it just goes back to what you feel. If you feel she's your familiar, then chances are that she is, if only for a time. (Familiars come, go, and change just as easily as friends can. You'll always have a relationship with them, but it might not be the same as before.)  

[Nomek]

{rant}
Totally, I speak cat all the time, well, I comprehend cat, the cat in turn learned to comprehend english quite well, aalthough it might have happened the other way around first... either way our cat (mine & my fiancee's) (technically it's HER cat) Mystique is a grey tuxedo white belly, socks, & nose patch short hair domestic with long tufts of fur at the tips of her ears like a lynx would have, much thinner & shorter.

I would say if you feel it in your being, then yes Isa is your Familiar, Mystique is in her second life with us, her first we are sure was as my rat Yuki, whom died of a broken neck

(slippery silky shirtt + rat = rat falling + Hard floor & rat landing on it's head = Deaded Yuki).

After his death, I put him in a box, said a prayer of sorts for yuki, and wished for him to come back as a cat so he would always land on his feet, I then cremated him (P.S. Burning rat = the smell of hotdogs....it's gross, but we finally know what's in the oscar meyer) anyways that was in january of 2007, Mystique was born april 21st 2007 and e got her july 2007, now the coloring resemblance was astounding (Yuki was a white rat with a grey patch from his neck running down his back and the patch was shaped like a "?") .

Our cat has verbalised as clear as a second year ESL student yeah, no, mom, water, n** (meaning catnip), and I catch the odd english in her meows even when I'm not askign direct questions... {/rant}