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Cat-Sìth | Scottish Folklore

If you have ever wondered why black cats are associated with Halloween, the cat-sìth/cait-sìth may be the reason.

They are described as giant black cats with a spot on their chests, an arched back, and long hair always standing upright and bristly.

“Elfin cats (cait shìth) are explained to be of a wild, not a domesticated, breed, to be as large as dogs, of a black colour, with a white spot on the breast, and to have arched backs and erect bristles” “Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland” by John Gregorson Campbell (1900)

On Samhain(the early version of Halloween), when the cat-sìth was said to roam around, many families would leave out a bowl of milk to keep in the cat-sìth‘s good favour. If you did that, you would be blessed, if you forgot, you would be cursed. 

As well as that, some people in the Scottish highlands were often fearful of the cat-sìth stealing the souls of the recently dead and carrying them away to the otherworld, so people would stand watch over their loved one until they could be buried. This was called Feil Fadalach or Late Wake. Essentially, this involved a large number of activities to distract the cat-sìth, such as games, dancing, contests, riddles, and even catnip spread over the house. All the fires in the room with the body would be put out, since cats like warmth (though this would also help keep the body from decomposing as quickly).

Eventually, a change of beliefs changed the cat-sìth from a fairy, into a witch. The myth that cats have nine lives is said to come from the fact that a witch could transform to a cat exactly 8 times. If she did it a 9th time, she would be a cat forever.

High-landers commonly explained the cat síth as a transformed witch, not a fairy.  A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology

The cat-sìth is not to be confused with Big Ears, the demonic god of the cats. He was said to be even bigger and more ferocious.

“But Big Ears was a monstrous demon cat who had only a slight connection with the Cait Sith.” “A Encyclopedia of Fairies” by Katharine Briggs (Published in 1976)

That is a story I won’t be covering, because I think it will be too troubling for people. Putting it bluntly, there was a belief that if you brutally tortured a certain number of cats to death in a certain way(known as the taghairm), Big Ears would appear, and grant you wishes in return for your soul.