Ahh I made my post but didnt see this one (I think I misspellled squib in my search).


Anyways, I was thinking that Cats dont only have to do with squibs, but anyone with a complete lack of magic in their family. Hermione for example, being the only character (that we know of) that has 2 muggle parents. She has crookshanks. McGonagal and Hermione have such a strong parallel (Very much by the books on first glance, its who they are. But they both have loyalties to a very brave wizard that causes them to break the by the books sort of manner. Only upon knowing them well can you really tell they arent 100% by the books/studeous and thats all they do), that I would be surprised it McGonagal's parents WERE magic. We know she wasn't pureblood because she wasnt on the family tree. (I know he didnt mention every name on the tree, but Im relatively positive that if "Minerva Mcgonagal" had been there Harry would have noticed). I think that its more symbolic than anything that can be logically explained. A clue for US, not something that they all do as part of a conspiracy. Like in a book where a character is supposed to be pure and they show up in white all the time. The only reason for that is to tell us they are supposed to be pure. I think that any time you see a cat, look for either 2 muggle parents or a squib.

Yes, maybe they ARE kneezles. Maybe wizards don't have other kids of cats. I mean, muggles seldom have toads or owls as pets, but Neville is probably not the only one to own a toad, though it is not popular among kids anymore according to Hagrid in PS, and many students at Hogwarts seem to own their own owls. And Fangs doesn't seem to be an ordinary dog either. Wizards have their own kinds of pets.

This is a really boring idea compared to some of the others on this thread, but perhaps Mrs Figg trains up these cats and gave one to a fellow Squib? Mrs Norris - the name makes it seem that she could have lived with Mr Tibbles once. Of course, in the presence of Filch, even the fluffiest little kitten could turn into a mangy flea-ridden fiend.

Or perhaps there was a magical Mr Figg who did it, and Mrs Figg just keeps the cats now.

I know that a lot of people believe cats are somehow magical. Real cats, I mean, not just the fictional ones. I don't. My cat has many nice qualities but I'm sure he's not magical. But this could be adapted into the series. Perhaps cats are inherently magical, but not enough so that they must be hidden away from Muggle sight. Like owls, I suppose. Or perhaps they're both magical and cunning, which means they find their own ways of not being detected.

We need to be cautious about assuming someone is not Pureblood, simply because they weren't mentioned as being on the tapestry. The Longbottoms weren't mentioned on the Tapestry I don't believe.

It was said that all Pureblood Wizards are related, but, I didn't understand that to mean they're all so closely related that every family is on everyone's family tree. Being a distant cousin is still related, but, you wouldn't expect to see every distant cousin on your family tree.

Cats, even in the real world, do seem to develop a telepathic bond with their favored family member. Cats owned by single people, (or a person living in a family that is favored by a cat) will often be able to detect the mood or emotional needs of their owner, and generally will do what they know how to fulfill those needs.

Ahh, but we also need to be careful about whom we assume arefull blood as well. We have met 2 squibs (that we know of) who both own cats. Not only do they own the cats, but every time their names are mentioned, the cat is either mentioned shortly after, or comes directly to mind. We have 1 muggle born (that we know of) who owns a cat. When I think of Cats and Harry Potter, I think of Hermione, Mrs. Figg, Filch, and McGonagal. JK is big about balancing things out, as well as patterns. That looks (to me) like EITHER:

A. A well balanced pattern. 2 squibs, 2 muggleborns. All have a lack of magic somewhere in their family. Also, they all have a strong connection to cats.

or

B. 2 squibs, a muggleborn, and someone who has a record of magic in her family. No balance, no consistant pattern (McGonagal making a break in the pattern), and all around UN-JK Rowling.

I think that McGonagal's presence on the tapestry would have for sure calssified her as pureblood, and even though the absence doesn't necesarily make her muggle-born, combined with the above it makes a very powerful case. Not to mention the very very strong parallels between her and Hermione.

But I doubt muggles would have named their daughter "Minerva". It sounds like a witch name to me.

There's a whole thread on the possibility of McGonagall being Muggleborn, but I think there's some good evidence that she isn't - the way she talks about the Dursleys and doesn't know what a sherbet lemon is.

HEHE, I'm completely Muggle, and am unsure exactly what a Sherbert Lemon is (Lemon Drop in the US I believe, but not positive).

I can see certain things about McG that make it entirely believable that she's a Muggleborn, or half blood, but, I think it's just as likely she could be Pureblood in the vein of the Weasleys. Same goes for Dumbledore.

Well, brittish muggles should maybe know what sherbet lemons are.

I think we can all pretty much agree that Crookshanks is at least part Kneazle (Or some believe he's an animagus, but the lowest intelligence level would be Kneazle).

So I was wondering, are Mrs. Norris, and Mr. Tibbles the same breed of cat as each other? I ask this because in the real world, I have found that Tuxedo cats seem to be on the top of the intelligence chain. I've never met one that doesn't seem to fluently understand English (Not sure if ones who have masters who speak other languages pick up those languages as well, or maybe English is like a race memory for them), and don't recall seeing a cat of another breed, seeming to be that fluently understanding.

So perhaps, the reason Mrs. Norris and Mr. Tibbles are so smart if because they are both the same breed, and that breed is directly below a Kneazle when it comes to intelligence. (Or could they be full blooded Kneazles? I've never read fantastic Beasts, so I'm not sure what the physical description of a Kneazle is, but, I thought Crookshanks doesn't match the description of one, other than his intelligence)

My friend and I were just discussing this issue (I made her read all the HP books), and we realized that the similarities between Figg and Filch go far beyond the whole liking cats thing. They have similar names and have the same initials (Arabella Fig and Argus Filch), they are both Squibs, and they both have interesting personailities. Perhaps they are relatives?

I don't think we have to connect every cat. Hermione doesn't use Crookshanks like Filch and Mrs Figg use their felines. The relationship isn't the same.

McGonagall might turn into a cat because she has certain cat-like qualities. That's not to say that she digs up flowerbeds and can lick her own feet, but she is as poised and watchful as a cat, certainly. It doesn't mean that she must be connected to Figg's cats or Mrs Norris in anyway.

The ones that really do share similarities, other than by being cats, are those I just mentioned - Mrs Figg's cats and Mrs Norris. They're equipped as all-seeing-eyes by Squibs and they have stupidly cute names.

Oh, and I don't think every cat in the series is going to turn out to be a Kneazle. I mean, how many can there be? Besides, Kneazles don't look exactly like cats.

Lupinsgrl, there isn't a character in the series who doesn't have an interesting personality.

I know there is a lot of buzz going around that there is some relationship between squibs and their "pets." I happen to agree that there is definitely some connection, but I don't think that these pets are actually animagi. I know that this is going to sound ridiculous, but what if squibs' pets are actually linked to them in some way? More so than a pet would be to a magical owner. I'm suggesting that it might be a kind of gift that they have because they don't have magical powers. Their pets are like a part of their very being.

I'd been thinking about this topic lately and formed my own ideas on it, so I went to see what others were saying about this topic of cats and squibs. So, I've just gone and read this whole thread.

My thoughts on it really aren't very complicated, so there might be more to it, but I think the big thing is just that cats can talk. I have a feeling that all the magic here is within the cats...not the squibs. I think the cats in the magical world can actually talk and they can talk to anyone they like, but they have chosen to only talk to squibs. For some reason, they like squibs. Maybe they feel squibs are less intimidating or something, I don't know.

I mean, Figg says that Mr. Tibbles came and warned her that Mundungus had left. I think Mr. Tibbles just told her what happened.

Also, (and I know most people will disagree with this, because it goes against the mainstream idea) but, it seems to me that when Filch bursts in on Harry in the Owlery saying he got a tip-off that Harry was ordering Dungbombs, it was Mrs. Norris that told him that, not Umbridge. Just look at it. When Harry was on his way to the Owlery, Mrs. Norris brushes past him and "she had the unmistakable air of a cat that was off to report to her boss..." even though Harry didn't know what he was doing wrong by heading to the Owlery. Well, I think Mrs. Norris was presuming he was going to the Owlery to order Dungbombs, so she went directly to Filch to tell him. When Harry and Cho asked him who told him they were ordering Dungbombs, he just said "I have my sources." Filch wouldn't tell them it was actually Mrs. Norris. I mean, that's what Mrs. Norris does. She patrols the school and if she sees the students doing anything wrong or anything she finds fishy, she goes and reports it to Filch. I think that's the easiest explanation of that scene, personally.

Anyway, my real point is I think that the fact squibs and cats can communicate is due to the magic of the cats and not any magic of squibs, persay. Cats talk to squibs is what's important here, I think...not really that squibs can somehow magically understand cats. Does that make sense?

But, I don't know. That's just my take on it. :shrug:

But I'm sure that there are other Squibs without cats. Just as there are wizards without owls...

We need to meet more squibs before we can generalise like that.

I'm sorry if my post was confusing. I know there are probably Squibs without cats. I wasn't generalizing that, persay. I was just commenting that I think the cats can talk, but they only prefer to talk to Squibs. Some cats belong to wizards. There are a few students mentioned to have cats that they own. But, I think maybe those cats just choose not to talk to their masters. Does that make sense?

Actually, my opinion is that there aren't any Squibs without cats. There may be a few that the Ministry can't keep tabs on, but all registered Squibs I think have cats as "gaurdians". I think cats in the HP book have powers we don't know about. Unless the "cats" Squibs have are actually Kneazles, which do have certain powers.

Has anyone noticed that in PS Harry describes Mrs. Figgs cats as "Tibbles" and "Mr. Paws" (and then there are a few more without Mr. or Mrs.). I thought Tibbles was actually a "Mr."? Probably just a small "Flint" by JKR, or something more...?

Well they probably can communicate w/ their cats because they're different from cats in the muggle world. In the 3rd book when the woman in the shop was discussing the differences between magical rats nad then regular rats, maybe the same holds to cats. And the squibs probably got them from their magical family... hm... just a theory.

hi, i just thought i'd update this thread. we know know that crookshanks is part-kneazle, i think it says that somewhere on jkrowlings website. anyhoo, do you think Filch's cat Mrs norris might be a kneazle too? it would definatley explain why she is so loyal to him.

I think Arabella Figg is Argus Filch's sister.

I always thought there was something weird about cats in the book. It makes sense that there is some connection between squibs and cats, Filch and Mrs. Figg both have cats and are both squibs.

Isn't JKR herself a real cat person?

I think the cats and/or kneazles in the books are just extraordinarily smart like the owls are. Magical pets just seem to be very smart and very loyal. But I do like the idea that cats for squibs are like seeing eye dogs for the blind.

Nope, she's allergic to them, like Hagrid. :p

As I was rereading OotP, I was also struck by the fact that both Mrs. Figg and Filch have rather intelligent cats that are named like humans (with the Mr. and the Mrs. before their name). However, the fact that they are named thus could have no significance whatsoever- I used to have a goldfish named Mr. Fish.

I don't think Mrs. Norris or any of Mrs. Figg's cats are Animagi; as someone said, that would be repetitive of JK, and we would be tired of something like that after being introduced to Peter Pettigrew. Nor do I think all of these cats are part Kneazle like Crookshanks. But I do like the idea of cats being like seeing eye dogs for Squibs. It's also possible that cats are like natural animal companions for Squibs. However, without hearing about additional Squibs, it would be impossible to tell.

Another thing- when Mrs. Figg says Mr. Tibbles came and warned her when she'd stationed him under a car, I don't think the cat necessarily spoke to Mrs. Figg. Nor do I think the cats actually communicate anything spoken to their owners. I would imagine they merely alert their owners simply by their presence. With Mrs. Norris, she runs to Filch whenever she sees a student misbehaving and probably leads Filch to wherever they are. The same is probably true of Mr. Tibbles' warning: he probably kept a look-out from underneath the car and ran to get Mrs. Figg when things went wrong. Based on this, I have to agree that these cats must be magical in some way to be intelligent enough to understand and act upon their owners' instructions.

I've always wondered if the cats could communicate with their owners. It's mentioned many times that when Mrs. Norris spots trouble, she runs off to get Filch and he's there in an instant. Seems weird. I know he could simply see her and she seems aggitated and follows her, but it's like they communicate. Also, has anyone else picked up that it's mentioned that Filch and Mrs. Norris have the same eyes? I'm doing my summer re-reads now and have read that a few times. Probably nothing, but interesting just the same.

Where does this theory lead Petunia then, she has no cats and therefore according to this theory can not be a squib, maybe she is the late bloomer that JKR talks about.

Here's the quote about the "late blooming witch/wizard". The quote shows that the person didn't have to be a squib to begin with, it seems more to be a one-time "burst of magic" if you will. :)

So, Petunia could still be a muggle and manage to pull of the magic. Or, it could be that squibs have a special connection with cats, but there's no reason all squibs have to have a cat. Does that make sense? :)

maybe squibs can cumunicate with each other through the cats like teleapthy.

I think that each squib gets a cat at birth and the cats can cumunicate with the owners to keep them safe I think this because it seems really weird that all the time a student is out of bed or breaking rules and Mrs Norris is near Filch turns up 5 seconds later so I think that Mrs Norris uses some telepathic like power to cumuneicate with Filch. I also think this because they love there cats really badly and don't let any think happen to them like in Chamber of secrets Filch was devistated when Mrs Norris got petrified. Mrs Figg also seems obsesd with them because when Harry used to go to her house she bored him with long talks about her old cats so she must hav had a few.

Also I think that squibs can cumunicte with each other through the cats because every squib seems to have a cat. Tell me what you think?


Also is this just a coinsedece or do all squibs have the initials A.F? because the two squibs that we know of do (Argus Filch/Arabella Figg)

Cats were/are viewed as magical creatures. In ancient egypt, cats were a symbol of the gods, so cats were revered and kept. As for squibbs, i think they keep cats because of their magical intuations (they say cats can see ghosts, etc.) Since they are without any magical powers themselves. I think more lies in store for the connection between cats and squibbs in the next two books, and also there are some H.P. books that analyze everything you could try reading.

Mrs Figg's house smelled of Cabbages..... :eyebrows:

And Argus Filch and Arabella Figg have the same initials. :whistle:

Someone earlier noted Mrs. Norris follows Hagrid around.

If Mrs. Norris is part Kneazle, and Kneazles have an ability to detect unsavory or suspicious characters (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), does that mean Hagrid is doing something suspicious?

Awww! I've been on holiday for three weeks and I was going to start two new threads when I got back home, Squibs and cats and Aberforth Dumbledore the Hogs Head barman, but it looks like quite a few people have spotted these revelations.

I don't think Hagrid was being suspicious, Mrs Norris was just taking orders from Filch, just like when Sirius got Crookshanks to get Neville's common room passwords

AF and AF, wow Filth and the Figgster have more than I thought in common, this is really wierd, we must be on to something!

Nope, which is not a good thing to me, but that's another story. However, there was one cat she saw walking around her work or something that she got interested in, maybe even a little found of, and that cat is the origin of the character of Crookshanks.

Maybe this is a little off topic, but I just wondered why there are so few cats at Hogwarts (students may bring them to school). Hermione owns a cat/kneazle named Crookshanks--is it because Hermione is muggleborn that she fails to instruct him? I don't recall Crookshanks warning Hermione about anything (did help with the Whomping Willow and did try to "get" Scabbers/Pettigrew) or trying to get her to follow him. [Hermione speculated that Millicent Bulstrode had a cat, but we never saw it.] Ginny is a cat lover (according to Ron), but she doesn't bring the family cat to school (the Weasleys have at least one, and that one likes to wear clothes!).

It is a little odd that the first mention of Figg's cats does not give Tibbles the title "Mr." From PS/SS: "it would be a whole year before he [Harry] had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again." What are the rest of Mrs. Figg's cats doing, especially Mr. Paws? Which cat did she trip over when she broke her leg?
I agree with others on this thread that Squibs have cats to help connect them with the wizarding world as cats have a somewhat magical background. They certainly were connected with witches during the middle ages (especially black cats), although their magical connection goes back much further (Egypt).

And we know that polyjuice can change gender because Crouch Jr and his mother polyjuiced each other. :agree: Mrs Figg's house always smelled of cabbages.

Wonder if it works on squibs.

i think you're all onto something... but why couldn't mrs. norris be a kneazle, too?

really, it more of a coincidence eh? Filch we meet in the 1st book, but I don't remember much about Figg until the 5th. In the Muggle world, there are lots of crazy old cat ladies, but not really any crazy old ferret or dog ladies. So cats would be a more likely persona to be found in a modern day neighborhood.

There are hints about initials, though. Stubby Boardman and Sirius Black have the same initials. So do Peter Pettigrew and Piers Polkiss, though they are different generations. :huh:

They do have a lot in common.. though even if Mrs. Norris followed Hagrid around, Crookshanks has no problem with him

As for the initial things.. we could be getting somewhere

I don't know if Mrs. Figg actually tripped over a cat when she broke her leg.. it could have had to do with something completely different, because if cats are as magical as we're getting at, what're the chances she'd trip over one.

Also Mrs. Figg.. emphasis on the Mrs., who's her husband

I also saw a similarity in Mr. Weasley's partner Perkins, one of the tents he lent them smelled of cats..

From p. 39 PS/SS: Harry is at Mrs. Figg's while Petunia and Dudley are out getting his Smeltings uniform. "Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before." We don't know which cat, though.

but it also could have been a cover-up for something.. like she's not going to tell Mr. and Mrs. Dursley that she say broke her leg doing something involving the wizarding community like work for Dumbledore or something..

Also the squibs must have some magical connection with their cats because sometimes Filch shows up where Mrs. Norris is without Mrs. Norris having to go fetch him.. particularly whenever she mews

I think Mrs. Norris is an animagus, and is Filch's wife/girlfriend

Crookshanks warned Sirius about things going on. Even stole Neville's password list. I guess wizard cats are not ordinary cats. Course I still don't understand why Filch shows up, even at times Mrs. Filch doesn't go get him.


Good point, also thought your idea on Perkins was interesting as well.

I highly doubt this is that case, as then all magical families with a last name beginning with "F" would simply choose a different first initial for thier child :))

I've been looking for a thread like this everywhere! I personally think that these cats are kneazles or half-kneazles like Crookshanks. I wonder how they communicate as well, but remember that Sirius (Sirius, may he rest in peace :sad: ) was able to communicate with Crookshanks as well. It must be a kneazle thing, and their Squib owners are able to communicate with them because they are sensitive to magical stuff (just because they can't do it, doesn't mean they can't see it or whatever).

If I were a Squib, I think I'd want an animal that was part-kneazle or even full kneazle to help me with things. Both Mr. Tibbles and Mrs. Norris are extremely helpful to their owners, you know?

In Philosopher's Stone, it's mentioned that Harry usually goes to Mrs. Figg's house to look at photos of her cats. Is it possible that Mrs. Figg used to breed kneazles? If that's the case maybe she knows Filch and gave him one. Do Squibs ever go to Diagon Alley? It doesn't seem like it. We know Muggles go (Hermione's parents), but for some reason no Squibs.

Neddle, that's very interesting! If they are siblings who on earth would their parents be though? Filch is not nice, but Figg is a good person.

If she's a Mrs. Figg, there must have been a Mr. Figg somewhere. I wonder if he was a muggle or not.

Oh, someone mentioned the fact that there are unregistered animagi. I secretly think that there's many unregistered animagi than we ever know. If Peter Pettigrew, of all people could do it, I'm very sure that other talented wizards could do it. So maybe some of Mrs. Figgs cats were animagi. I don't think Mr. Filch's could be though. Someone might notice. (Then again, maybe not. No one figured out Scabbers).

How long have they had their cats? And where did they get the cats?

There has been an update on JKR's site today, answering various questions relating to both Mrs. Figg, Filch and Squibs. Here are some interesting things about them that may or may not be important:

About Squibs:
-Born to at least one magical parent.
-They are rare.
-They don't attend Hogwarts
-Are doomed to live a half-life, as they can never truly immerse in the world of their parents
-Are the opposite of Muggle-borns
-Have access to certain magical objects and creatures that help them

About Figg:
-Apparently Mrs. Figg trades cross-bred cats and Kneazles (hence why she has so many in her house)
-No, she didn't see the Dementors attack Harry and Dudley. According to JKR she just had enough magical knowledge to correctly identify the sensations they created on the alleyway. (this means she lied to the Wizengamot court)
-Operates as Dumbledore liaison between the magical and muggle worlds

About Filch:
-His Kwikspell course never worked
-We are informed that we should feel sorry for Filch...

Filch and new clues?
 

Ohh, that's interesting! Thanks for sharing.

Hmmm..why should we feel sorry for Filch? Because he's a squib or is there something more? I wonder what his reception will be this coming school year since he so clearly aligned himself with Umbridge last year.

I can't wait to find that out. :huh:

The amigus theory is interesting but I don't think it's true. On her website JK said Croookshanks is NOT a cat but a magical creature and you could find what he is in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them I don't have the book so I can't look it up but maybe this is what the squibs cats are

Crookshanks is of mixed breed. Part cat and pert kneazle. And now Jo has informed us that Arabella Figg is breeding and trading them. So also Mr Tibbles is probably part kneazle. Seems likely that Mrs Norris is one too.

Figg's cat album
 

Mrs. Figg, in Philosopher's Stone (pg. 22 Canadian Raincoast) has Harry viewing her pictures of "every cat" she's ever owned. Harry is happy that he can go to Dudley's birthday trip instead of looking at pictures of cats.

Is there some ulterior motive for Mrs.Figg? Does she want Harry to know the cats for a reason? And is Mrs. Norris in Figg's photo album of cats?

(And maybe off topic, but Perkins tent smells like cats.)

Kneazles are intelligent animals. That's why many people think they might be Animagus. They are Magical Creatures, so they have some intreresting qualities. They can be 'mixed' with cats.
We already know Crookshanks is a cat/kneazle. Apparently MrsFigg's cats are too.
BTW, MrsFigg's cats are MrTibbles, Snowy, MrPaws and Tufty. Not all of them have people's names...
I never noticed it before, but MrsFigg is a Mrs. So she was married... What about her family? Is her husband dead? Was/Is he a wizard? Did she have any children? ???

It seems to have a connection there... Perkins and MrsFigg. Are they related? Well, at least they have the same taste... :)

Interesting, isn't it? :eyebrows:

I seem to remember suggesting long ago that Figg and Perkins had an affair and used to go camping together. :D

Maybe Perkins was Mrs Figg's maiden name and Perkins is her brother.

:lol: That's a funny thought! :lol:


This is more plausible, but not as funny... :D

I'd take a note on that brother/sister thing. I think you might be right. :)

Arabella Doreen Figg

Her name is mentioned during Harry's hearing at the Wizengamot Court...
That would be her maiden name, right: Doreen.
So, no connections with Perkins... Not brother/sister.
Maybe cuisins? :)

I think Doreen is a first name. So it's her middle name, not her maiden name. Like Harry's name is Harry James Potter.

I hope so... Is it Doreen a common firt name?
If it is, the brother/sister theory is still up.
Not that it would mean anything...

I'm feeling kinda down today... Too hot in here! My blood pressure goes all the way down...

Doreen is common in some places. Arabella is the name of a daylily. Could she be connected to Lily Potter?

Or can someone anagram Arabella Doreen Figg?

I admit I've been going around updating threads with JKR's new info on her site!!!

Her extra stuff section has new stuff to say about squibs, here's the quote, with the cats importance all bolded up nicely: :)

Found at JKRowling.com.

That's simply brilliant! Figg sells Filch a half kneazle. Maybe the kneazle/cats sort of pick up on their owners wishes and personality. I guess you could train Mrs. Norris to be a martinet of rule breaking; just as Crookshanks picks up on Hermione's "enemy". Maybe Mrs. Figg's dead husband was an old school friend of Dumbledore's. And when Dumbledore hired Filch he got Filch in contact with Old Figgy. Afterall, a castle the size of Hogwarts is difficult to patrol alone.

p.s. I'd like to buy one from Figgy's "roaring trade". It could keep my students from cheating. You'd all be in trouble... :evil:

I thought it is interesting both known squibs have the same initials AF, Filch & Figg.

Love the idea.....
 

I love the idea about a cat acting as a squib's "seeing-eye dog" ! To me it makes so much sense! Although I can't see the cat being an animagus, I mean really, it would be very uncomfortable to stay in animagus form for so long when you really are a witch or wizard (Peter Pettigrew only stayed in animagus form for 13 or so years because he had too). But it's kind of funny though isn't it? Why cats? I mean besides the obvious connection between cats and witches, what kind of importance, if any, could there be?

compared to all other animals in the wizarding world that are kept as pets such as cats, toads, rat and owl. Cats seem to be the most widely accepted by muggles, so i think this is the reason why squibs keep cats.

How do squib's cats talk to them?
 

This is something I did search for (ain't I a clever boy) and though there was a similar thread about squibs and cats this wasn't covered.

Just wondering, but how do you think mrs Norris and Figg's cats talk to their owners? Can they talk? Can they use telapathy? I mean, they must, for Norris to tip off Filch and Figg directly says Mr.Tibbles told her about Harry.

And, on top of that, can crookshanks use said powers?

And, weirder, if my brother's cat could talk, would he be throwing death threats at me? :scared:

Cat's are supposed to be psychic, and since Muggles can have psychic powers, I'l bet Squibs can too. In fact, with their lack of magical ability, maybe squibs are more psychic than the muggle....
But why so they have a thing for cats? Why don't squibs like dogs?

I think at least Mrs. Norris might be a Kneazle.

Kneazle This very intelligent cat-like creature can detect unsavory or suspicious persons very well and will react badly to them. However, if a kneazle takes a liking to a witch or wizard, it makes an excellent pet. The kneazle has spotted fur, large ears, and a lion-like tail http://www.hp-lexicon.org/bestiary/b...m.html#Kneazle

We don't know that much about Mrs. Norris appearence. She just described as "dust colored with lamp-like yellow eyes" but perhaps she also have big ears and tail.

Maybe because cats can conceal themselves better being so much smaller. Also I find (having both a dog and cats in my home) cats to be much quieter and sneakier than their canine pals.

Well she doesn't have to have the ears and tail, she could be a half-breed like I think crookshanks is and those particular features weren't carried on to her.

From JKR's site:
We can then surmise that her cats are indeed either whole- or part-Kneazle. I have a feeling that Kneazles can communicate with the one that they attatch themselves to. Crookshanks attatched himself to Sirius, I think, not Hermione, because Sirius said that Crookshanks took the order for the Firebolt to the Owl Office for him. We know that Crookshanks is part Kneazle (JKR said so...)... Just some speculation... feedback welcome!

3 days.

~fenestra

Mrs. Norris's descrition tends to remind me of a bobcat... they have fairly large ears, don't they? Anyways.

I think the question has basically been answered-- most of them are likely to be at least part kneazle, who seem to be more intelligent (and magical) than ordinary cats, and seem to bond to one person, with whom they can communicate.

I like that theory a lot. It makes a ton of sense. Why didn't Crookshanks bond with Hermione though? In fact, he seems to like Harry more than Hermione. I wonder why this is.

I wouldn't think that they'd neccesarily bond with their "owner." Perhaps he sensed that Sirius (who Crookshanks seemed to communicate with) and Harry were close.

How do squib's cats talk to them?

Probably the way my cats talk to me: Jumping on my chest at 5:30 in the morning, meowing and batting at my face until I am herded, half-asleep, to the bowl to pour more food.

It seems like a lot of Kneazles if Crookshanks, Mrs. Norris, and Figgy's cats are all Kneazle or part-Kneazle.

So what about normal cats? I wonder if they can communicate with Squibs too. My guess is yes, but not in words. Hey, cats seem really intelligent, and they can communicate without words, so maybe Squibs or people with magic are better at understanding what they're thinking? My cats are usually saying, "Pet me," "I wanna play," "Don't pet me," "Not right now, maybe later when I decide to be around people." It's pretty obvious sometimes, and maybe with Squibs they can be more specific.

Well however it is... Cats are awesome!! :D

squibs might have some kind of magic thing about them that does give them an ability telepathically...but then crookshanks attached himself to sirius, so its probably an ability a kneazle obtains with its chosen owner..i guess

I think squibs and their cats communicate using telepathy.

Perhaps Hermoine's cat doesn't communicate with her directly because she's not ready for that kind of contact yet. I imagine that Crookshanks will talk to her when he needs to.

Exactly. Lacking in real magic, I think that Squib's are given as a consulation a power over cats to communicate with them and to control them to do their bidding. I bet if we see more Squibs in the future, we will see more cats. As for Crookshanks, I think that he is just a remarkably intelligent cat, maybe she was once owned by a Squib.

err... right :P crookshanks and all the cats squibs ar elikely to own are part beast. look it up in magical beasts and where to find them.

I don't think they are registered with the Ministry.. it's just kept on record in the Ministry possibly, nothing but a log.

I was wondering about all the cats in the series. JKR says that there's more to them that meets the eye...

We know Crookshanks is part Kneazle. What about Mrs. Norris? Is there a creature in Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them that detects "suspicious" and "mischievous" things like Mrs. Norris seems to do?

Why do Squibs seem to favor cats? Why not dogs or turtles or something?

I think cats have magical powers that squids do not. That's why I think they keep them around.

also, arabella figg and argus filch have the same first 2 letters in there first and last names, ar and fi. arfi? maybe its just coincidence, but maybe not!

I think Mrs. Norris is also probably half-Kneazle, given her intelligence and general suspicion.

I also wonder about her ability to communicate with Filch--they seem to have more of a human-to-human connection than pet-to-master bond. Maybe she's a full-blooded Kneazle (I also once came up with the bizarre idea that Mrs. Norris was once a person, but was somehow permanently transfigured into a cat).

As for cats, I think Squibs favor cats because of their ability to breed with Kneazles comes in handy--I would suspect a half-breed as being more docile than a full-blooded Kneazle. Plus, I'm sure they're easy to disguise as common housecats, and their immense sensitivity to magic probably helps Squibs stay in the loop, so to speak.

well this may be psychotic and doesn't even have the chance, i've always personally thought that mr. tibbles and mrs. norris were animagis, that's a possibility, right? i mean, mrs. norris is awfully smart for a cat...

I think that Squibs are lonely because they are rejected within the Wizard society. (Main Reason: they are born with no magical powers)
We normally associate lonely people with cats, usually they have hundreds... that is why I think that Arabella Figg and Argus Filch have cats, because they considered to be rejected, they are lonely and they have no other company.

Maybe Kneazles are like the seeing eye dogs of the Magical Community... they help detect things that Squibs can't because they can't use or sense magic while Kneazles can.

cats are cool.

Cats are cute and fuzzy, and squibs need fuzzy stuff because of the lack of an important phase in their infancy: fuzzyness. The moms paid all the attention to the wizard sibling, and didn't hug the squib as much, so now they are compensating for that lack by getting soft and furry kneazles/kitties, etc. :D

Wow, thats a very good theory. I didn't even think of that. Well, I have nothing to add, but I still think that is something to think about.

Cats have always been seen as traditional witch familiars, meaning that they are more powerful or have some kind of secret power that we don't know about. Perhaps Squibs are given cats or cats find them to help them deal with their lack of magical powers.

Okay, I didn't want to wade through 10 pages of this, so I hope this hasn't been said already. It's pretty far out, don't flame: Arabella Figg is Mrs. Norris and Argus Filch is Mr. Tibbles. It seems to be just to perfect. Maybe Mrs. Norris' petrifying in CoS has something to do with that.

another thing how many cays have we seen Mcgonagall, Mr tibbles and Mrs norris, crookshanks,any more?

I think that sqibs are attacted to cats because they are more magical than other house hold pets.

Having read this thread, last page only, it has struck me that the only two squibs we know of both have cats, and both are given a surname title, i.e., Mr and Mrs.

Really, how many of us who have cats actually call our cats by a surname? I never have, my cats always have human names - like my current cat is called Angus and the previous one was Chloe, but I would never think of calling it Mrs/Mr Whatever.

I have nothing more to add, no opinion of my own, but yes, an interesting thread!!!