Few animals give off witchy, supernatural vibes more than a black cat. That’s probably why they appear so often in fantasy fiction. Sidekicks, mentors, minions—black cats can be a lot of things, looking beautiful and mysterious all the while.

Here a few of my favorite black cats from books, comics, and TV.

Thackery Binx

Maybe not the best start, since he’s not truly a cat—rather a human boy transformed into the form of a cat by witches. But you can’t have a list of fictional black cats without this guy on it. The kids in Hocus Pocus would have been witch-food without his help.

Ebony

If you watched WandaVision, you’re probably familiar with Agatha Harkness’s pet rabbit. You may not know that in the original comics, her pet was a cat.

A black cat, of course. Agatha Harkness is an old-school witch. And not just any black cat, as Ebony can transform into a giant black panther… which is pretty scary, when you think about it. It’s a good thing normal cats can’t do that, or we’d all be doomed.

George

Pizza Witch is one of the best comics ever, though unfortunately it’s mostly out of print. (But you can still buy a digital copy.) One of the best things about it is George, black cat and witch’s familiar. He’s cute, funny, and pretty much the best friend ever. He makes me want a talking cat familiar who can help me make pizza and cheer me up when I’m feeling down.

Luna

The ultimate cat mentor, Luna from Sailor Moon has her hands full. Training teenagers to fight magical space monsters is a tough job, and she doesn’t even get paid for it.

Nyx

Nyx is an adorable black kitten and witch’s familiar from The Vampire Knitting Club series. She is too classy for canned cat food and prefers fish, thank you very much, and she knows what’s going on in the book’s plot better than the main character does. Unfortunately, she’s not a talking cat.

The Cat

The Cat from Coraline also knows more than the main character, and he can talk (in the Other World anyway). Not that Coraline listens to his advice. Still, he saves her in the end—mostly by serving as an unwilling distraction when Coraline chucks him at the villain, which was kind of a jerk move.

Who are your favorite black cats in fiction? Let me know in the comments!

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