The Long tailed cats first appeared in the 1st edition vampire: the masquerade book ‘a World of Darkness’ where they were described by the word Hengeyoki. Since that time they have not appeared again in the World of Darkness and the word has been re-cycled for the traditional lycanthropic shape shifters of the Werewolf: the Apocalypse setting. Their extended lives, I think, make them interesting creatures to resurrect (pun intended) for the Immortals of the WoD: Mummy project and indeed for their own rite.

"The cat is cryptic, and close to strange things which men cannot see."
-H.P. Lovecraft

The Long Tailed Cat is a strange and long lived creature which shares the twilight world of the Immortals. Born as mortal domestic cats, they somehow outlive their siblings and become more intelligent, eventually gaining the ability to take human shape. Once they have mastered a single human shape it isn’t long before they have mastered the ability to take a variety of human forms of any age, gender or size.

With the human form comes complex language and the ability to use a form of magic akin to Hekau (Shinjutsu), and the possibility of being affected by the Spell of Life. Long lives often lead to a desire for eternal life and the Long Tailed Cats seek out Immortals in the hope of joining their ranks. At the very least they will admit a grudging respect for the reborn if only because they are one of the few entities who can debate eternity without the risk of the blood lust.

Although first recognised and observed on the islands of Japan, the Long Tailed Cat is a worldwide phenomenon. In fact they may well have begun in Ancient Egypt along with the reborn where cats were first domesticated and, in the temple of the Goddess Bast, began to live longer lives.

Immortals who study these strange creatures do so for the insights they grant into the Spell of life and the desires of Isis. Some claim that Isis simply adored her pet cats while others believe there is much more to it than that.

The Long Tailed Cats are drawn to the Immortals for many reason, mostly because of what the cat gets out of the relationship. The Immortals know how to survive as eternal beings, they have access to secrets and pleasures the Cats covet. However cat’s learn to love and appreciate those who care for them and many fall into familiar patterns - with the Immortal as pet keeper and the Long tailed cat as pet.

Domestic cats (Mau in ancient Egypt) hold a special place in the supernatural world above and beyond any other non-human animal. Humans admire the cat for its grace, its predatory nature and its aloofness, among many other traits. We imagine them to be secretive intelligences and to maintain superior cultures of which we know nothing.

As well as being svelte companions and mysterious associates, the cat represents mankind’s ability to attract and co-exist alongside the fiercest aspects of nature. Unlike dogs and horses, the cat was never tamed, it was appeased. It reminds us that we are not always the apex of life, not always the most attractive thing in the room.

In the New Kingdom the devotion and worship of cats outstripped that of any other animal by orders of magnitude. Cats were also strongly associated with the dead, and a cat belonging to a recently deceased person was viewed with much suspicion, sometimes locked away to keep it from becoming a kasha, a kind of demon that descended from the sky to steal corpses, and which often had a cat-like form.

Feline reverence is not peculiar to Ancient Egyptian civilization and the Long Tailed cats are numerous in the Middle Kingdom. Chinese mythology maintains that the emperor Shih Huang Ti once found his cat sleeping on the sleeve of his robe; instead of waking it, he cut the sleeve off so as not to disturb the animal. If such a man, later destined to become the despotic ruler of the Asian afterlife, held cats in such high regard when he felt so little of it for his fellow humans, we must admit to the cats powers of seduction The same tale is also told about Muslim prophet Muhammad in a story meant to teach caring and mercifulness to all animals, not only cats.

Written records reveal that Siamese cats, in their country of origin, were venerated as guardians of the temples. When a person of high rank died, it was usual to select one of these cats to receive the dead person's soul. The cat was then removed from the royal household and sent to one of the temples to spend the rest of its days living a ceremonial life of great luxury, with monks and priests as its servants. These cats were reputed to eat the finest foods from gold plate and to recline on cushions made of the most opulent materials, which had been provided by the departed one's relatives in an attempt to receive good fortune and blessings. Once they became temple cats, they were supposed to have special powers and could intercede for the soul of the dead person.

This reverence can also be found in ancient Indian texts, where records of cats involved with human society can be found in great epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, circa 500BC. As the Hindu and Parsee religions respected all forms of life and were especially sympathetic towards cats, all good Hindus were expected to take care of at least one cat during their lives. But it is Japan that the culture of the supernaturally gifted cat received the most notice and from their language that the most often used name for such creatures, the Bake-neko, was taken.

In Japan, a Bake-neko (ghost cat) is a cat that gains paranormal powers after certain circumstances, living long beyond the lifespan of its mundane kin and eventually gains the ability to transform into a human shape . In Japanese folklore, any cat that lives over thirteen years old, reaches one kan (eight pounds) in weight or is allowed to keep a long tail was thought to become a Bake-neko.

A cat might also become a Bakeneko in order to aid a human to whom it owed a favour. There are also stories about cats taking the forms of women and girls to become wives (much like foxes did in their own myths), or daughters to childless couples, once again trying to help their human companions make ends meet.

REN

The title ‘long tailed cats’ is not one used by the creatures themselves, it is what the Xienren first called them and the name has stuck. The Long tailed cats themselves seem to have little desire for a collective name, Most in Egypt prefer the name Ta-Miat while those in the east use Bake-neko, but there are many collective Ren for the cats. Some call themselves the sons (or daughters) of the Sphinx, the offspring of Mafdet, Cait-Sith, or nekomusume, (literally; Cat-daughter), some accept Baleneko while others refuse to acknowledge that they are not entirely unique.

Wherever the natural feline has been domesticated there are Long tailed cats, but the three largest occurrences of the phenomenon are in Japan (the Bakeneko), Egypt (the Ta-miat) and Northern Europe (the Cait-Sith). Each of these societies long believed itself to be unique and almost all of them consider themselves the first cats to have ‘evolved’ into shapeshifters. While it is possible to generalize about the species, it is perhaps necessary to discuss the three most established cultures.

The Bake-neko

The Bakeneko of Japan are of course the most numerous Long tailed cats in the world and have been studied more fully by Mages and Immortals. So much so that their language and habits have become synonymous with the creatures as a whole in the annuls of the occult.

Distant and proud, the Bakeneko hunger for the benefits of human life while holding humans themselves in small regard. They construct elaborate courts, deal with vampires, demons and true Shapeshifters with little fear and refuse to acknowledge the possibility that any other creature might be more wondrous or supernatural than themselves.

The Ta-miat

My hand has come upon you, the avenger is this which has come upon you, (even) Mafdet, pre-eminent in the Mansion of Life; she strikes you on your face, she scratches you on your eyes, so that you fall into your faeces and crawl into your urine. Fall! Lie down! Crawl away, for your mother Nut sees you!
Utterance 297, R. O. Faulkner, The ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts

Also known as the Kittens of Mafdet, the Ta-miat are the long tailed cats most closely allied with the Immortals of Egypt. In Egyptian "tA-miAt", meant "The Cat (feminine)" and its use indicates a preference for human company among the Ta-miat that the Bakeneko eschew.

In early Egyptian mythology the activities of the Ta-miat were often masked within the stories of Mafdett (also spelled Maftet), a Cheetah headed Goddess whose name means (she who) runs swiftly. Present in the Egyptian pantheon from as early as the First Dynasty, Mafdet was the deification of legal justice, or rather, of execution. Thus she was also associated with the protection of the Tombs and other sacred places, and with protection against venomous animals, which were seen as transgressors against Ma'at.

This Goddess shares certain physical symbols and depictions as the Sphinx. In art, Mafdet was shown as a feline, a woman with a feline head, or a feline with the head of a woman, sometimes with braided hair which ended in the tails of scorpions. At times she was shown with a headdress of snakes. In New Kingdom tomb scenes she was shown as executioner of evil creatures in the afterlife.

She also was depicted as a feline running up the side of an executioner's staff. It was said that Mafdet ripped out the hearts of wrong-doers, delivering them to the pharaoh's feet, in a similar manner as domestic cats who present people with rodents or birds that they have killed or maimed.

Bedecked in Egyptian jewellery and heavy kohl, bathed in asses milk and fanned by Nubian hunks, the average Kitten could be living in the height of the Egyptian empire and enjoying almost as much power as any Queen. Though less dedicated to selfless acts, they remain allied to the veil of Isis and often to the varied Dynasties that look to them for support. Even those who are not so closely aligned with the Immortals tend to display the trappings of reborn culture and pseudo-Egyptian trappings for their chosen pawns and patrons.

These cats claim that their founder was Isis own favoured companion, and this they say is why they are satisfied to pose as the indulged cohort of great men and women. Whether they be the familiars of Witches or the tomb Guardian of an Immortal, the lap cat of a Shemsu-Heru or the battle companion of an Ishmaelite, they have adapted to the beta role of the sidekick or companion (never say parasite and make sure there is a clear route to the door before you say pet) in ways that other Long Tailed Cats often take offense at.

In ancient times these cats haunted the edges of Shemsu-Heru culture and through the worship of Mafdet (later Bast) they were even admitted at times into the Veil of Isis. When that Cult followed the Ishmaelites out from Egypt the Kittens went with them, always riding the coat tails of the reborn. The long tailed cats of Khem maintained a much closer association with the Immortals than did their eastern cousins, and often suffered as much from that relationship as they benefitted from it. The oddity of the Long Tailed cats may be less well known in the middle east precisely because they were often dragged into the war against Oblivion and suffered the consequences. Those who did survive may well have learned the art of obfuscation that kept them out of local legends.

While the cult of Mafdet was eventually replaced by that of Bast, another cat-goddess, Mafdet’s imagery continued in association with the pharaohs including personal items and the bed upon which their mummies were placed. That Mafdet and her children were the companions and allies of the Immortals can be inferred quite plainly.

Cait-Sith
Apart from Vampires and Mummy’s there are other creatures who live forever, the Fae. While the manner in which they cheat entropy has changed in the past six centuries, it isn’t that different from the way the reborn do it. Long tailed cats in the West came to understand the True Fae and made alliances and compacts with them much the same as others did with the reborn or with the Vampires and Gaki.

The dreamy rush of a Fairy court feeds the lusts of the Cats and their peculiar understanding of eternity comforted them. Some lost themselves to the Dreaming, becoming permanent fixtures in the freeholds and glens of the Fae. Others played the game of the Nightmare kin, kidnapping humans, seducing Dreamers, or simply providing new and unusual play things for Unseelie pageants.

These Cait-Sith, as the Fae called the Long Tailed Cats, passed into fairy lore not as a separate or unique creature, but simply as another type of Fairy beast. Such a masquerade helped almost all long tailed cats stay out of the grimoires and legers of Western occultists. Even when the Fae abandoned their old haunts and became the changelings, it didn’t take very long for the Cait-Sith to find them again and rekindle old alliances. However the new fairy’s had forgotten some of the ways of the Mythic age and they too came to believe that these strange feline creatures were a lost fairy kith or a breed of Chimera.

CAT SOCIETY

_ Cats were put into the world to disprove the dogma that all things were created to serve man. _ - Paul Gray

Many Cats pretend to be domesticated by human (or near human) beings, so they can more easily obtain luxuries. However once away from their ‘keepers’ the cats engage in a complicated courtly culture which tries to meet each night in which the moon is visible. Court life is full of splendid singing and dancing, often accompanied by wild orgies. Sometimes human pet mice are brought to these festivities so that their masters can be amused by their reactions.

The Courts differ by location, the Cait-Sith like Celtic pageantry while the Ta-Miat tend towards ecstatic soirees in coffee houses and bordellos. But they share a few distinctly traits such as dangerously wicked verbal sparring that often erupt into duels, open sexuality and unabashed conduct, opulent splendour and feasts with the promise of cruel forms of after dinner entertainment. No matter how much of the human world the Cats try to emulate, they are still cats when it comes down to it.

The Long tailed cats will tell you that each city has a King or Queen which rules over the court. In large cities populated by many of their kind this is true, however in many more locations this is more of an affectation than a true title. All Cats are noble creatures (at least in their own eyes) and so the leader of any patch is a King or Queen, whether they have a court and servants or not.

However these nobles do supply some form of organisation to a species rarely inclined to complex social institutions. Long Tailed cats are prone to certain pack like behaviour to much the same degree as a house cat. They crave and seek out companionship, within their gatherings they recognise alpha’s and wish to please them. They compete with others of their kind for the attention of those Alpha types and in unguarded moments they gain a lot of comfort from being in the company of others of their kind.

Asian cats often claim their king or queen is a manifestation of the Moon kami Tsuki-Yumi. Many set up Shinto temples dedicated to this Kami. With equal deference, cats from other lands claim their royalty are avatars of the Sphinx or of Sekhmet, of old nick. Some claim to be the descendents of Dick Whittington’s wise cat (or even that same cat himself). Long Tailed Cats are just as skilled at deluding themselves with grand claims as they are of fooling everyone else - but that does not infer that all of these claims are false.

All Cats are creatures of grace, elegance and beauty, but some cats are superior to others. The leaders of Cat society are pure white from nose to tail. In the lexicon of the Bakeneko young cats are described as being black and elder cats as being white, but if this was ever 100% true it is no longer so. The Leaders of cat society, it is true, are entirely white, but felines of any colour can become Immortal.

Beneath the kings and queens are the elders, those who have managed to survive much longer than any natural cat, or human, and who have learned enough tricks or gathered enough pawns to wield some degree of power over the rest of the Long tailed cats. The skilled magic users and the cat priests (oh yes there are many of those) usually come from this strata of Cat society.

Then there are those charismatic cats who have come to be admired by some of their companions - the popular and the beautiful, the clever and the influential. Cat culture, what there is of it, is a meritocracy built as much on boasting and lies as it is upon proven ability or shallow characteristics. Sometimes Wits or good looks can elevate a black cat to the ranks of the White furred elite.

This pecking order seems to be common wherever Long Tailed cats gather, but it does not describe every facet of their culture. At times geographical peculiarities sometimes evolve into traditions and camps, as do shared interests and philosophies.

ROLE-PLAYING HINTS

While the common cat is a survivor equally happy in town or country, the Bakeneko are almost exclusively an urban phenomenon. Few hard working felines ever find their way to Immortality, the path requires a certain degree of easy living that can be found by alley cats and lap cats but not by Mousers and farm cats. Bakeneko are urban creatures who like to indulge in the attention (and luxuries) of humanity, usually because they have observed such opulence from close proximity. Only a few _ go rural _ _ seeing it as a way to get in touch as the true cat nature or as an aesthetic discipline, but even they began as sophisticated urbanites on the laps of the rich or feeding from the well stocked scraps of the restaurant district.

Its seems that Humanities feelings towards cats have gone a long way towards shaping the personality of the Bakeneko. They are as aloof as they seem to us, they are graceful and sensual. An enjoyment of sex and gratification appears to be universal among all Bakeneko, and one has yet to be found with a completely altruistic nature.

They suffer none of the usual banes other supernaturals are prone to, despite occultists forever attempting to lump them in with Vampires or Goblins of one type or another. Though they prefer the moonlight to the sun, they suffer no vulnerability to it. They suffer no more or less from True faith than a mundane cat and are free to enter holy ground. That being said, most will not feed in such places and their survival skills teach them to respect the power of the sacred spaces. Gaki and Keui-Jin often employ Bakeneko to remove barriers preventing them entering temples and few mages put up sigils to bar cats when warding against Vampires, ghouls, Dhampyrs and the like.

Bakeneko are arrogant and flaky, unshakable in the knowledge that they are better than everybody else. They sneer at rules and concepts of fair play. Before taking on a challenge or fight they make sure they can win. They ignore defeat or humiliation and thus rob the victor of his spoils.

Their word is worthless not because they are naturally dishonest, but simply because they are prone to distraction. It is best not to pay them before a service is completed, and beyond foolish to rely completely that will complete any contract they undertake. The manipulation of others is a sport to the Bakeneko, but the art of the barbed quip is by far the most admired skill.

CAT CLIQUES

See also magical societies in the Shinjtsu section here.

Zocho, the kittens of Tsuki-Yumi
The Zocho are Bakeneko who believe themselves to be the servants of the Kami Tsukiyumi, the Guardian of Yomi, God of the Endless Moon. Their central organisation is focused upon Shinto temples dedicated to this Kami which secretly serve the long tailed cats. The average Bakeneko court in Japanese cities is balanced between the King or Queen and the cat priests of the Zocho.

As the guardian of the Realm of Spirits, it is Tsukiyumi's task to govern over the brightest and most purest souls of the dead, the reborn who battle against Izanami the destroyer. Like their God, the Zocho take pride in their duty as the Guardians of Yomi, or more importantly as guardians of those souls who return from Yomi (no doubt because they lived just lives of honesty and purity, lacking in complete Sin.) Thus it is that the Zocho have set themselves the task of serving and protecting the Xianrén, often becoming their companions and associates in times of need.

Perhaps the only Bakeneko clique to fully embrace the world of the dead (Soku-no-Kumi) and how intrinsically tied to it the True Immortals really are. The Zocho attempt to mount a unified front against Oblivion (Izanami) and entreat all other Bakeneko to join them. They see the Immortals as living Kami of that which He of the Endless Moon embodies; hope, emotional strength, honour, love, vibrancy and strong will.

Tsukiyumi was blessed with his own Soldiers: Hiruko, Benten and Kaminari. His Soldiers represent the supernatural races Hiruko (Vampires), Benten (Hengeyokai) and Kaminari (Mages). The Zocho seek to become the forsth soldier in this great army through eternal diligeance and acts of astounding style and grace. It is said that all those who haunt the shadows are Tsukiyumi’s children and through him the Zocho hope to find some greater purpose for all their kind.

The Sphinxes
More formally known as the sons (or daughters) of the Sphinx, these are the Ta-Miat who appear to have risen above their selfish nature and the comfortable cushions to walk the path of Ma’at. Far more militant and aggressive then others of their kin, they stand side by side with the most stalwart warriors of the Osirian league in the battle against Apophis. Insisting that they are the descendents of the Sphinx they are prone to revel in their role as predators and combatant, and it is not unusual for them to find favour within the Cult of Isis. Rumours circulate concerning the Osiris Ta-Miat, Long tailed cats who have successfully been given the great rite.

Sphinx Bakeneko have studied warfare at the feet of the Shemsu-Heru, accompanied Ishmaelites into Setite havens and even willingly accepted the roles the Immortals prefer to avoid. When the battle between the forces of Ma’at and Izfet gets messy, the Sphinxes have been known to become spies and assassins, perhaps even torturers, for those who cannot shoulder the guilt themselves.

The Sphinxes hold fiercely to a belief that the Sphinx on the Giza plateau is neither a lion nor a pharaoh, but that he was the first of their kind. A cat who could become human. The word 'sphinx' is Greek, and comes from the Egyptian word 'shespankh' meaning living statue and the Bakeneko hold that this monument is the largest Ushabti in the world. Its Arabic name is Abu el Hol, or Father of Terror and the Bakeneko revel in this aspect of the Demi-God. The part of them that frightened mice, that enjoys torturing their prey, that part comes from the Sphinx.