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Cats were a variety of feline animals of various sizes.[note 1]

Varieties[]

Housecat
The domestic cat, often called a housecat,[2] was a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal. Cats were valued by humans for companionship and ability to hunt small vermin and household pests. For that reason they were most often found in inhabited regions as pets, or sometimes as wild cats (domestic cats without any owners). Housecats weighed about 8–10 pounds but could weigh up to 25 pounds. They lived around 15 years.[3]
Water cat
Water cats were cats with an affinity for water that were descended from the familiars of a group of slain wizards, familiars which had been corrupted by polluted sewer water.[5]

Ecology[]

Halruaan mages believed that cats were attracted to spellcasting. Folk in the region considered that fact to be a well-known and obvious truth.[6]

Thomas C. Quirkilious of the Chromatic Scale instrument shop in Baldur's Gate experimented with using catgut to make lute strings. The experiment was a failure, despite being better than sheepgut. The main problem was sourcing the cat innards as such inquiries resulted in death threats.[7]

Felines[]

Felines were animals that were related to cats.

Cheetah
A large cat known for its speed.
Jaguar
A large, jungle-dwelling cat.[8] Jaguars were similar in size and appearance to leopards but were somewhat bulkier and had spotted rosettes. They had golden fur and black spots, but a rare few had black fur and black spots and were called black jaguars.
Leopard
A large cat smaller than a lion or tiger. Leopards had golden black and black rosette spots.
Lion
A large golden cat; males had manes. Lions typically lived in groups called prides, which hunted and fought together.[9]
Lynx
A large forest cat only slightly larger than a housecat.[10]
Panther
A large, usually black, cat similar to a leopard or lion.[11][12]
Astral panther : A panther that dwelt in the Astral Plane.[13]
Fey panther : A panther touched by the Feywild.[12]
Spectral panther : A panther than could move between the Shadowfell and the Prime Material Plane at sunset and sunrise.
Saber-toothed tiger (smilodon)
An ancient dire[14] species whose existence persisted in some places.[15][16][17]
Tiger
A large, orange cat with black stripes. Tigers were the largest of the natural cats, even larger than lions. They were dangerous, solitary predators. Some tigers were white instead of orange; these rare tigers were called white tigers.

Catlike creatures[]

There were a number of non-feline creatures that resembled cats in various ways.

Displacer beast
A beast appearing as a black panther with six legs and two tentacles sprouting from its shoulders.[18]
Krenshar
A hyena-like predator described as "catlike."[19]
Lammasu
A magical beast appearing as a cross between a lion and an eagle.[19]
Rakshasa
A fiendish humanoid with the head of a feline, usually a tiger.[12]
Sabu lord
A mighty Zakharan great cat with extraordinary abilities.[20]
Sphinx
A magical beast said to have the body of a lion.[21]
Tressym
A winged cat.[22]
Werelion
A lycanthrope with the form of a lion.[20]
Weretiger
A lycanthrope with the form of a tiger.[10]
Jaguar lord
An intelligent, jaguar-like creature native to Maztica.[23]
Felines of Bast-Poly49

A variety of domesticated cats lounge alongside other species of feline inside a temple of Bast

Reputation[]

Many deities favored cats. The Mulhorandi god Anhur and the god Malar were associated with hunting cats. The elven god Solonor Thelandira also favored the great cats. Both Azuth and Savras favored gray-colored cats in particular, while Bane and Vhaeraun favored black ones. Mask favored either of those colors. Brown cats were sacred to the halfling goddess Cyrrollalee, and calico cats to Deneir, Milil, and Savras. Striped tabbies were considered holy to Eilistraee's worshipers, but white cats were special to followers of Mystra. Rare gold-furred cats were considered a blessing from the dwarven god Vergadain. Sharess was considered a cat deity, and she had a particular association with tressym. Hellcats often served the god Set.[24]

The city of Nathlekh was also known as "City of Cats" for its large population of felines.[25]

Appendix[]

Notes[]

  1. Unless otherwise specified, the word "cat" by itself usually referred to a domestic cat (housecat). Statistics in this article refer to the domestic cat.

Appearances[]

Adventures
Referenced only
Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor
Novels
Murder in CormyrSilverfallSandstormSword of the GodsSpinner of Lies
Referenced only
The Ring of WinterElminster: The Making of a MageThe PaladinsSentinelspireArchmageSentinelspireThe Magehound
Video games
Baldur's Gate series (Baldur's GateBaldur's Gate II: Shadows of AmnBaldur's Gate III)Icewind Dale series (Icewind DaleIcewind Dale II)Neverwinter Nights series (Neverwinter NightsNeverwinter Nights 2Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate)
Board Games
Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Begins

References[]

  1. Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 320. ISBN 978-0786965614.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 270. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), p. 38. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
  4. Gary Gygax (August 1983). Monster Manual II 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 22. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
  5. John Baichtal (August 1997). “The Dragon's Bestiary: Spawn of the Sewers”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon #238 (TSR, Inc.), p. 72.
  6. Elaine Cunningham (April 2000). The Magehound. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 3, p. 42. ISBN 978-0-7869-1561-3.
  7. Larian Studios (October 2020). Designed by Swen Vincke, et al. Baldur's Gate III. Larian Studios.
  8. Douglas Niles (1990). Ironhelm. (TSR, Inc). ISBN 0-8803-8903-6.
  9. Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 275. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 64. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
  11. Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 274. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 213. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  13. Warning: edition not specified for Vengeance of the Iron Dwarf
  14. Wolfgang Baur, James Jacobs, George Strayton (September 2004). Frostburn. Edited by Greg Collins. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 118. ISBN 0-7869-2896-4.
  15. David "Zeb" Cook et al. (1989). Monstrous Compendium Volume One. (TSR, Inc), pp. 20–21. ISBN 0-8803-8738-6.
  16. Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 94. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
  17. David Howery (September 1988). “Into the Age of Mammals”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Dragon #137 (TSR, Inc.), p. 44.
  18. Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 66. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  19. 19.0 19.1 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 165. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  20. 20.0 20.1 Wolfgang Baur, Steve Kurtz (1992). Monstrous Compendium Al-Qadim Appendix. (TSR, Inc). ISBN l-56076-370-1.
  21. Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 232. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  22. Greenwood, Martin, Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), Monstrous Compendium. (TSR, Inc). ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
  23. Jeff Grubb and Tim Beach (September 1991). Fires of Zatal. (TSR, Inc), p. 62. ISBN 1-5607-6139-3.
  24. Sean K. Reynolds (2002-05-04). Deity Do's and Don'ts (Zipped PDF). Web Enhancement for Faiths and Pantheons. Wizards of the Coast. pp. 10–15. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2018-09-08.
  25. Eric L. Boyd (September 1997). Powers & Pantheons. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 42. ISBN 978-0786906574.

Connections[]


True Felines
Mundane felines: CheetahHouse catJaguarLeopardLionMountain lionOcelotPantherRed tigerSaber-toothed tigerSand catSnow leopardSnow tigerSpotted lionTiger
Giant felines: Dire lionDire tigerGiant lynx
Magical felines: Cath sheeCrag catElven catJaguar lordJana-nimrJana-qitatLuck eaterSabu lordSwamplight lynxTressymWater cat
Planar felines: Fey pantherSpectral panther

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