Familiar

Familiars are enchanted creatures who follow and guide new witches to protect them while they learn the craft. After their work is done, they run away to their next charge. Familiars are naturally attuned to the seasons and phases of the moon and can be helpful in teaching the young witch a heightened awareness of his or her environment.

As seen with Tuatha, even evil witches have familiars; guiding them down the path of evil. Certain familiars can become human as a reward for their faithful service so they can guide and train other familiars as well like Katrina.

Powers and Abilities

Active Powers

• Sensing: The ability to sense the location or presence of other beings. Kit possessed the power to sense evil and could identify demons and other evil beings, as well as being able to see ghosts and astral beings.
• Enhanced Agility: The ability to possess magically enhanced agility. In human form, Kit possessed enhanced agility as well as razor sharp nails. It is unknown if all familiars possess agility, or if this is exclusive to cats.
• Zoolingualism: The ability to communicate with animals.

Appendices

Book of Shadows

Familiars

Familiars are enchanted

creatures who follow and

guide new witches to protect

them while they learn the

Craft. While they are often

cats, other animals, like

dogs, rabbits, horses and

snakes can be familiars as

well. Familiars are naturally

attuned to the seasons

and phases of the moon and

can be helpful in teaching

the young witch a

heightened awareness

of her environment.

Familiar Warlock

Main article: Familiar Warlock

When a familiar betrays its witch, it becomes a warlock and the first thing it does is kill its former charge to obtain her or his powers. To become a permanent warlock, it must shed all of its lives before the next full moon. If it succeeds, the warlock becomes immortal. But if it fails, it becomes a familiar again for all eternity. In a cat's case, it needs to shed all nine lives before it can become immortal.

Known Familiars

• Kit
• Tuatha's Snake
• Shadow

Gallery

Kit, the Charmed Ones' familiar.

Rasputin, possibly Grams's familiar

Tuatha's familiar

Shadow, Ariel's familiar

Other feline familiars

Familiars attack the familiar hunter

Notes and Trivia

• Rasputin was possibly Grams's familiar.
• Kit was possibly Serena Fredrick's familiar.
• When Kit transformed into a woman, she said that she had moved on when she had fulfilled her purpose with her particular charges.
• In Date with Death, the Charmed Ones' cat was named Sweetie.

Appearances

Familiars have appeared in a total of 15 episodes throughout the course of the series.

References