How do you keep an animal companion alive?

[Shaele]

A little planning ahead... I'd like my current PC, a low-level druid, to have a pet cat as an animal companion. How do I keep the cat alive past the first fireball? Familiars have the advantage of nifty abilities (improved evasion) and relatively good hit points, while an animal-companion cat will have, well, 2 hps forever.

There's rules in the Masters of the Wild about giving up XP to animal companions to increase their level, but that seems to only work with animals with level ranges, and won't work on 1/2 CR house cats.

Can it be done, or an I stuck with having to take only combat-capable animal companions?

 

[Keith]

Mostly, just keep them well away from you, I think. Scouting, rear guard. They are unlikely to be the target of a fireball (or other attack) themselves.

 

[0-hr]

Have the cat hang out in your backpack. That grants them 100% immunity to just about everything.

 

[isoChron]

Cast awaken and let it advance in class levels ...

 

[diaglo]

take a lvl in sorc.

 

[Steverooo]

Awakened Kitty

Cast awaken and let it advance in class levels ...

Yup! (Or get a trained Attack-Cat)!

Seriously, making it an NPC is your best bet. My Ranger Animal Friendshipped his Warhorse, and is looking for a Druid to do this, so he can start training it as a Ranger...

Barbarian/Sorcerer might be good for Attack-Kitty!

 

[Zhure]

Limited Wish can (just barely) be used to cast Awaken.

 

[RigaMortus]

When it dies, Animal Friendship another one.

 

[isoChron]

RigaMortus: Not very useful if you have a personal relationship with your cat

Use a familiar pocket. OK, it's not a familiar in the wording but where is the difference ???
A cat does not need INT 12 to climb into a box or pocket ...

 

[MerakSpielman]

When it dies, Animal Friendship another one.

If you casually allow your close friends to die, you will start not being able to attract new ones. It says so somewhere in the rules, I'm sure.

Even wolf animal companions are NOT intended for use as battle fodder. As a matter of fact, a druid would probably heal his animal companion before he healed his other adventuring companions. To let them die is a betrayal of their intimate trust on a very fundamental level.