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Cat
The cat in myth and legend has an old history. In the West they were long associated with witches and magic, especially black cats.
The cat was associated with such goddesses as Freya, whose chariot was pulled by cats, the Roman Diana and Greek Artemis
were said to have assumed the form of a cat, and Bast the cat-headed goddess of Egypt. Both Europeans associating the nocturnal
doings of the cat, and the Egyptians whose goddess Bast was mother to the Moon and thus had power over fertility, saw the cat as
an animal of the Moon. In Japan cats have been attributed to have supernatural powers or to be able to bewitch humans; in some
cases they are thought to control the dead. In China it was once thought to see spirits in the night, and after death it was possible the
cat might return to life as a demon, or even to animate the dead while living.
Cats show up frequently in fairy tales and fantastical tales. Examples are French fairy tale the White Cat and Puss in Boots. The cat from Licca's world in Wondrous Yunia Story falls into the fantastical
world with her and Dodo, and can speak while there. Another cat character is the blue-haired boy Licca befriends. He has cat-eyes too, and is an inhabitant of the world.
In Kiki's Delivery Service and The Fantastic Adventures of Unico a black cat has witch associations or aspirations.
Jiji is the familiar to Kiki, and Katy the little kitten in Unico is in search of a witch to teach her magic and transform her into a human
girl. Another familiar shows up in the Rayearth OAV as Alcyone is linked with a cat as her magic beast. In Sailor Moon, the three
guardian cats are linked to the Moon. They are named Luna, Artemis, and Diana, all of which at one time were names for ancient
goddesses of the Moon (the latter as noted even having the ability to take the form of a cat). These three characters are advisors to
the Moon family and watch over Princess Selenity, the heir to the Kingdom of the Moon.
In Japan there are old tales of the cat changing form, and sailors prized them for protection against spirits when they
ventured out to sea. These attributes may reflect in Ura from the El-Hazard OAV. In this series, cats are used to protect the royal family
of Roshtaria, and can change their shape and wrap around their master to act as armor tough enough to protect against the blade
of a sword. The Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro could be a combination of the shape-shifting cat, the bakeneko, and the
Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. Ryo-Ohki, the cabbit (half rabbit, half cat) in Tenchi Muyo, has the ability to turn into a space
ship. Also, Shampoo in Ranma 1/2 changes into a white cat. Both Kero and Spinel in Cardcaptor Sakura are magical cats that can
shape change in that they both change from their small size into their full guardian size, Kero into a lion and Spinel into a panther.
Bakeneko
A monster or spirit cat. In anime these spirit cats have the ability to speak, shape-change, and are normally not benevolent.
Sometimes the bakeneko is a lower spirit or creature in the service of a higher and darker force. This is the case in ep. 19
of Blue Seed and ep. 31 of the first season of Sailor Moon. Other times the bakeneko may be cunning as in the shinma of ep.
9 of the Miyu TV series. This bakeneko masqueraded as a normal housecat, exploiting the weaknesses of his human hosts.
Kilala (Sango's companion) in Inu-Yasha is a cat demon. She
has transformative and fire powers. She has two tails.
Usually seen as a small cat or kitten, but can
transform at will to a large, more formidable form.
Perhaps a type of bakeneko.
The last example is a ghost cat not out to harm, but simply in search of a bride. An ep. during the fourth season of Ranma
1/2 features a bakeneko who dwells in a large bell. This bell is identical to the tiny bell around Shampoo's neck. The legend of the
bells is that the pair are tied by destiny and the owner of the small bell will be the bride of the ghost cat. A last note on bakeneko is
that they seem to have the ability to take possession of another. The examples above had the ability to take possession of another
cat or a human.
Cat-girl
The cat-girl is an anime icon, and suggests various things. The cat, like the fox, in Japanese folklore can be anthropomorphic,
and this shows up in tales like that of the Vampire Cat, where the cat takes the form of a human. Even European tales like
Puss in Boots give anthropomorphic attributes to the cat. So this is one aspect to the cat-girl, it's going in reverse and giving cat
qualities to a human girl or a very humanlike cat. And when this is done, it usually emphasizes a personality trait in that character,
such as being cute or being very naughty or in the process of contemplating possibly committing a slightly naughty act.
Usually the cat-girl is mischievous or simply very cute, characteristics going back to a cat. Yet, the deceptive cuteness or
gentleness is also associated with cats sometimes and this comes out in many cat-girls. Ryoko when she has her tail is
very mischievous in the Tenchi series, as is Merle in Escaflowne. When the Aitenshi's bodies are taken over by cats in the fourth
OAV episode of Wedding Peach, the cats do very naughty things the three heroines wouldn't do, and cause trouble. Also, characters
like Sakura in Cardcaptor ep. 8 (Sakura's outfit also includes a bell at the neck suggesting the maneki neko) or Hikaru with cat ears in
Rayearth are simply given cat associations for brief periods to emphasize cuteness. Other catgirls are seen in Outlaw Star, Dominion
Tank Police, Villgust, and Natsuki (also a bakeneko) in Hyper Police to name a few.
Maneki Neko
The beckoning or lucky cat. These little statues with paws raised in the Japanese gesture of beckoning are
used in the home to invite good luck, or in stores to invite in customers. They may appear in a variety of colors though
tri-color is the most popular. There are many stories passed around of the origin of the maneki neko. One is that a shop
owner cared for a cat and in return the cat sat outside, beckoned to the passersby, thus helping the shop owner for his attentions. A second theory is that the maneki neko is influenced
from the deity Kannon's disguise of a cat.*
The image of the cat and bell on collar or bib is a popular image in anime, going back to the popular and well-known image of the
maneki neko. The power and legend of bakeneko featured on an episode of Ranma 1/2 centers on his bells. Sailor Tin Nyanko in
Sailor Moon has attire suggesting the maneki neko, this cat-girl's costume is covered in bells.
Other
In episode 22 of Utena, the three cats may symbolize Mikage, Tokiko, and Mamiya.
In Princess Tutu, the Sensei is a cat who threatens the students with marriage if they don't behave or quiet down. As it's a series heavily influenced by
fairy tales, a reference of a cat seems very suitable, especially one with such a whimsical trait.
A last note, in each episode of Trigun a cat pops up randomly in each episode as a running gag. Also, as pointed out from an Ask John article, black cats in both the East and West can mean bad luck and
in Trigun, Vash certainly has his fair share.*
*Ask John: Can You Explain the Black Cat in Trigun
AnimeNation.com
August 26, 2003