[...that's actually a little funnier in a total deadpan delivery... but anyhow.]

Huh, I thought there was at least some awareness of witches' familiars in popular folklore, since you seem at least reasonably knowledgeable of humanity. In any case, people used to associate black cats with witches, believing that they were used as messengers or servants of a sort. Those are actually real for us mages, but they're usually created via necromancy or summoning a spirit.