Celtic Mythology: The Cat-Sith

Witches and cats—especially black cats—are synonymous with Halloween. Their origin dates back to Europe during the Middle Ages, when the Church deemed anyone who practiced pagan rituals to be working with the Devil. Cats were thought to be a witch’s familiar and would aid or protect a witch during her magical practices. Familiars could be perceived as either demons or fairies, depending on whether the spirit was working for a witch or a cunning folk (folk healer). Medieval superstition about pagan practices eventually led to the Witch Trials of the 16th century.

The Cat-Sith is a fairy of Scottish folklore that takes on the form of a large black cat that has a white spot on its chest. The cat is said to be the size of a dog and usually walks on its hind legs but reverts to walking on all four legs when seen by humans. In the company of humans, the fairy cat will arch its back and bristle its fur to instill fear and show dominance. The Cat-Sith is a malevolent spirit that is believed to haunt the Scottish Highlands. Inspiration for the Cat-Sith likely comes from Kellas cats, which are hybrids of Scottish wildcats and domestic cats.

One question is whether the Cat-Sith is really a fairy or possibly a witch in disguise. There was a belief that a witch could transform into a cat nine times, but if she failed to return to her true form by the ninth time, she would remain a cat for the rest of her life. The myth of cats having nine lives likely came from this particular belief.

People at the time feared that the Cat-Sith would steal the souls of the recently deceased. Since morgues were not common at the time, the deceased were usually kept in a room at the person’s home or inside of a barn until they could be buried. Family members and loved ones would pay respects to the deceased during this time, but there was a fear of the Cat-Sith coming in and stealing the deceased’s soul. A vigil, called the Late Wake, was held, and people would dance, play games, play music, or use catnip to distract the fairy cat from the dead body. It was forbidden to light a fire near the body, since the Cat-Sith, like all cats, loved being near heat.

Even though the Cat-Sith frightened many people, there was a chance that the being could be benevolent. During Samhain, it was customary to leave a saucer of milk out as an offering to the cat. If the cat accepted the gift, the person or family would be blessed for the rest of the year. If milk was not left out, the Cat-Sith would retaliate by cursing the cows and drying up their milk.

The Cat-Sith mythology is likely responsible for superstitions about black cats being bad luck and used as witches’ familiars, cats having nine lives, and trick-or-treating during Halloween.

King of the Cats

There are variants to the Cat-Sith myth in which the spirit is described as the “King of the Cats." In one British story, a sexton or gravedigger sees a procession of nine anthropomorphic cats carrying a small coffin adorned with a crown on top. All of the cats are black with white spots on their chests. One of the cats goes up to the man and says, "Tell Tom Tildrum that Tim Toldrum is dead." The man goes back home and recounts the strange sighting to his wife. Their cat, presumably named Tom, overhears the part about Tim Toldrum being deceased and cries out that he’s now the “King o’ the Cats” before rushing up the chimney and disappearing forever.

An Irish tale tells of a bard named Seanchan Toirpeist who was disgusted by mice he witnessed crawling over a table during a feast that was held by King Guaire of Connacht. The bard composed a satirical piece mocking the cats of Ireland and King Irusan and his family for not ridding Ireland of mice. Through magical means, Irusan found out about Seanchan’s satire and swore revenge on the bard. In his fury, Irusan grew twice his normal size and went after Seanchan intending to eat him. During their fight, Seanchan pleaded with Irusan to let him go, but the King of the Cats refused. St. Kieran and St. Dunstan overheard the commotion and threw javelin-like rods at Irusan. Some stories say that the rods pierced right through the cat and killed him instantly, but others say that Irusan dropped Seanchan and vanished.

The Scottish Highlands tells of a demonic entity known as Big Ears. In order to summon the demon, participants take part in a gruesome ritual called the Taghairm Nan Cat. The ceremony involves the burning and roasting of cats over four days and nights. Once the ritual is complete, Big Ears appears and grants the wishes of the participants. Big Ears is sometimes considered the King of the Cat-Sith, even though he is a demon and not a fairy. His black fur, enormous size, and striking yellow eyes give him the appearance of the Cat-Sith.