What to do with a cat?

[Hypersmurf]

Guardian Familiar.....

Looooo-ove the Guardian Familiar

Threw one in the old forgotten temple my 3rd level party were exploring. They'd cleaned out the hordes of undead, destroyed the former high priest - a wight with an Unholy Scythe and some spawn minions - and returned the evil artifact to its proper resting place. On the way out, they went to loot the priest's bedchamber.

There was a cat sitting on top of the chest.

After the second time they killed it and it came back bigger and nastier, they freaked out and ran away.

Loo-ove the Guardian Familiar

-Hyp.

 

[Argent Silvermage]

The awakened cat is a fun concept. but how about making the cat actualy an ambasador or spy from an alien world that has chosen the players character as his/her test subject.
the concept should be along the lines of..the cat/alien sets itself up to be "rescued" by the party in hopes that as a "pet" it can get inside information for it's true masters who want to dominate the players world. The cat will be generaly helpful (ie leave them alone) until a stressful situation where it wants to see how they will react. after many experimants the cat will eventualy be discovered but at that point it may be too late.
The best part is that the cat is really a cat so any true seeing is going to show .. a cat.

 

[Gilrion]

I'd go with a perfectly regular cat. It's a lot more fun, and the players will indeed be climbing the walls if you do the stuff WayneLigon suggested.

If you want to add a twist to it, maybe someone could be using the cat (maybe to scry?), but the cat should definitely be a normal cat, not have been planted or any such thing. Cats are neat

 

[Sixchan]

Have an NPC with a mouse Familiar join the group.

 

[Holy Bovine]

Re: Re: What to do with a cat?

So it did something all cats do and he's suspicious?

Have it...
...suddenly run at top speed around the room/inn/house they are in, for no apparent reason.
...stare at a spot on the wall for hours without moving.
...show up at th exact time they normally eat dinner, even though it's been unfindable all day.
...sit on his chest as he sleeps, usually parking it's big fat cat butt right over his nose and mouth so he wakes up in short order, suffocating.

He'll be climbing the walls.

Some others,

If any PC is a spellcaster have the cat contantly sitting down on anything he/she tries to read. Scrolls, spellbooks etc. Moving the cat only makes it come back faster.

Have the cat always perched on the highest point in any room the PC cat 'owner' is . Then it will stare at him for as long as he stays there.

Have the cat walk around thier home/inn whatever 'yowling'. This is a sound not unlike babies being tortured. Preferably done at 3 am.

Have the cat begin destrying small knicknacks that are left near a ledge The cat shoudl deliberately push them off then quickly look over the ledge and watch them hit the floor and break. If they don't break the cat should jump down and start chasing the thing around the room.

Have the cat lick his eyelid during the night (cats have very rough tongues and this will wake you up faster than an alarm spell)

 

[Bulak]

The cat could be the semi-conscience of a character who it follows constantly.

Character: "I grab my sword and attack..."
Cat jumps in front of him: "Meow."

Character in an arguement with someone: "You stupid..."
"Meow."

 

[Thresher]

Some my longest lived character tends to operate on the 'shoot first, inspect later' principle for all these very reasons above.

I got a lot of hate 2 games ago when my character stapled a cat to the floor with a +5 crossbow because it was acting funny and I thought it might have been an efreet in disguise or familier or something.




it was just a cat
But it might have been an efreet...

 

[WattsHumphrey]

lol. I really like the idea of pestering a party with a cat.

Good ideas all around about who the cat might really be or if it's just nonmagical.

But I'd think about what you want them to catch on to eventually. I think if it was me, I'd have some 3rd party NPC playing a trick on the group. He'd glamer up the cat to look... just like it does! He might change the color or something, but just enough that the cat pointlessly detects as magic, despite it being near-wholly unmagical

If their dispel checks fail, then they'll get really freaked

 

[megamania]

OH! Silvertable needs to read this! He has a cat familar that controls his "master" then arranges for his death after permancy of some good stuff is placed onto said cat. Includes Alienist template.

 

[hammymchamham]

since two of my players each own cats, I'm yoinking this to see what they do.

I think I'll just make it a normal cat... or a paragom cat...