For thousands of years, cats have been regarded as mysterious creatures with Supernatural powers. These beliefs certainly did not disappear during the European witch-craze. The Witch Trials started in the 13th century. People began to believe that witches had the ability to turn into an animal, usually a hare or a cat, in order to transport themselves to a sabbat (a midnight meeting) presided over by the Devil. The idea of familiar spirits soon developed. These were imps or minor demons who took the form of any small animal, from a hedgehog to a toad. A familiar acted as an intermediary for the witch, carrying out her orders so that she wouldn't have to be at the scene of the crime when the evil deed was done. A witch's cat came to be called a "grimalkin". The Scottish goddess of witches was called "Mither o' the Mawkins", a mawkin or malkin being either a cat or a hare. Originally a gremalkin was a gray cat. Later the term came to refer to the "pussies" or "catkins" on a pussy willow, as well as to the witch's cat. * Some of the above info from John Richard Stephens, author of "The Enchanted Cat"Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):
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