What is the difference between a familiar and a pet?

     Most people believe a familiar is the extension of their own personality, and spirit. Stop for one second and think, what kind of massively self absorbed ego would support such an idea!?!

     A familiar does not exist to satisfy your fragile yet overinflated ego. A familiar is a companion, in the truest sense of the word, and it will accompany you through life, not as a burden, nor as trophy. You will find yourself taking a canine familiar on walks because you know they will enjoy it as much as you will. You will not force your two cent morality on a feline for doing what comes naturally... hunting anything and everything that moves. And above all, you will value the state of their mental health as much as you value your own (assuming you are not voluntarily senile).

     Firstly let us understand some of the primary reasons humans keep pets:

• Security (from human, or other bestial predators)
• Educating children on the values of raw, primal life... and the inevitable phase of death.
• Entertaining children and family members alike
• A way to pick up chicks in the park without them realizing how much of a sleaze you are.

     The act of feeding, grooming, and keeping a pet generally stimulated... these are all basic requirements that are treated as tasks. In essence, this attitude reduces the pet to an expendable role in the family/pack unit.

     The irony behind a true familiar's purpose is that there is no concrete reason to acquiring one. 99% of the time it "just happens." And if you went out of your way to calculate exactly what you wanted in a familiar, bad news... you do not have one.

     This may lead many to believe a casual and automatic relationship is developed with a familiar. Quite the contrary.
     Every animal is capable of training, and training is an absolute... I repeat... ABSOLUTE... within the relationship of a Leader and their followers. If you do not embrace your role as Master/Mistress with an animal, of any species, they will assert it for you.

     You see, the world outside your head, outside of the human intellect, is raw. There is no value in opinions or morality, or your fluffy faith in a personal reality. Animals are part of primal nature and they know what they need to know; (mammalian) blood is warm in life, cold in death. Water is wet, the absence of water is dry. And they know that the one equalizer in this universe is that NOTHING is equal. There are the Dominant and the submissive, predator and prey, solitude and the multitude. The primal qualities of nature, of the material world, largely adhere to the primitive philosophical concepts of Duality.

     The role of Owner, Master, Mistress... this role carries more weight with a familiar than that of a pet because the familiar is encouraged to embrace their raw bestial characteristics within the structure set by the Dominant figure.
    You may not realize it, but every animal can be trained. Yes, even the absurdity of the independent feline... cats can be trained, but like any other animal, it requires a natural Dominant personality to understand the difference between the act of training and the act of conditioning... between correction and punishment. And it all starts in understanding the nature of the beast (species specific, of course).

"This sounds like boring old pet training. Why is it that super-intelligent and sentient familiars feature so often in folklore, faery tales, and mythology? Are all of those magical qualities just a big fat lie?"

     No, they are not a lie, but by the same token, we are not living in a faery tale. All of those familiars are accentuated for allegorical purposes. It is a function of the story, and the storyteller... but I am not here to educate you on how to properly understand the art of storytelling throughout the ages.
     And while we can delve deeper into animal lore, the application of such lore with your potential familiar, and the value of sympathetic bestial energy in your life... there is one important question few ever contemplate: Are you truly capable of keeping a familiar?

     At this point in time the Horrorscope will refrain from discussing this specialised area of familiars. They are largely militant in application and almost always predatory in purpose. The most common knowledge of such familiars are in the form of Police and Military canines, as well as hunting equine, avian, and canines. Animals that are considered "beasts of burden" do not qualify as either service animals or familiars.

     For arguments sake let us say you had the ability to summon a demon.
     You had a purpose in mind when summoning, you went about binding this entity to you, and then... you slip your demon into the cutest knitted booties and winter sweater.

     Please, analyze.

     From the demons perspective, you have already established your dominance and are now following up your actions by humiliating, denigrating and generally torturing it. Next stop a frilly little skirt,  ballerina shoes and a tea party where your demon butters the scones.
     From your perspective you are flexing your muscle, tightening your iron grip... you are breaking the demon to your will, and you may limit its communication to the baby gurgles and the goo-goo's you coo at it. Anything to keep the wound of failure bleeding in the thing to keep it broken.

     Utterly reasonable behaviour if you were dealing with a demonic entity, but your familiar?

     This is, in no uncertain terms, an act of animal cruelty.

     Respect the bestial nature of your beast. A familiar is not a surrogate child, nor is it your confidant.