Decorations:
Werecats, in their cat form, love to curl up on pillows before a warm fire. Arrange pillows or beanbag chairs before a fireplace or a drawing of a fireplace. Invite guests to sit on the pillows instead of chairs. Other decorations could include real or drawings of bones of small animals (which werecats collect), hanging ropes with tassles on the end (which werecats love to bat), long strips of fabric with rips in them (from having been scratched), and scratching posts. In human form, werecats are fond of collecting sharp and shiny things, such as daggers, mirrors, and gemstones. They sometimes carry a pouch of odds and ends, such as bits of shiny glass, marbles, and mousetails.
Music:
Medieval lute music. For some reason, werecats find this music soothing when lounging by the fire.
Activities:
Musical Pillows: Werecats are protective of their areas and possessions. Play a game of musical chairs, using pillows, beanbags chairs, or carpet squares instead of chairs, to determine who is King Werecat.
Tag: Chasing mice, rats, and other small creatures requires agility and speed. Play a game of tag, where the one who is “it” plays the werecat, and the others mice.
Face Painting: Set up an area where someone can paint guests’ faces to resemble a werecat in cat form. Or at least they could add a few lines of whiskers using an eyeliner pencil.
Jumping Crickets: In the evening, when crickets come out, werecats practice their stalking skills by trying to creep up on them and then pouncing. If you were to see them doing this, you might laugh at the sight of these proud creatures creeping about, then suddenly bounding into the air. Set out a zigzag pathway of “cricket” markers that players can leap to. Players should begin with hands touching the ground before the toes, and then leap to the next marker and land with hands again touching the ground.
Yowling contest: Usually quiet and solitary, on rare occasions werecats convene for celebrations and to share news. One peculiar activity is their practice of holding yowling contests. Winners are chosen in categories such as volume and originality. Set up your own yowling contest in honor of this werecat tradition.
Crafts:
Masks: Decorate a simple eye mask to create your own werecat persona.
Scratch Art: Werecats love nothing better than to scratch things. Draw bold color patterns with thick crayons on construction paper. Cover the colors with a thick coating of black crayon. Using a fingernail or craft stick, scratch designs through the black coating to reveal the colors beneath.
Hand Print: On the rare occasion when a werecat must sign a document, he or she will dip a paw or hand into ink and mark the page or scroll with their print. Dip a hand into a pan of poster paint, then press your handprint onto a piece of construction paper. Label the page with a werecat name of your own invention.
Pom-poms: Werecats spend endless hours batting at tassels, pom-poms, and the like. They often hang tassels near their pillows, where they can bat them at their leisure. Make yarn pom-poms or tassels of your own. Then hang them from a strip of ribbon.
Secret Message: When traveling across Alagaësia, werecats will sometimes leave messages for each other on trees or signposts. Understood only by each other, they scratch these lines and dots into the wood with their claws. Invent your own scratch/dot language and carve a phrase, such as one of those below, into a soft piece of wood or thick strip of cardboard. Do this with the end of a large unfolded paperclip. Sample phrases:
Beware Nagra!Friendly farmer ahead.Mean dog at next farm.Come to big rock.Good fish in lake.Beware snakes!Don’t stop here.Go left. Eat mice.Silence.
Fish in a Bowl: During his travels, Solembum would sometimes stop to watch fish swimming in a pond. Tack a large, white, paper fish bowl on a wall. Cut out paper fish from colorful construction paper. Decorate the fish, using markers and sequins, and then tape them onto the “fish bowl”.
Food:
Werecats are fond of eating small animals. They like milk and adore cream. Liver is a special treat. When in human form, they can eat other foods, but they still prefer the diet of their werecat form.
Tuna Casserole: Fish is a favorite werecat food. Serve your favorite tuna casserole topped with dollops of sour cream.
Eggnog: Rich creamy eggnog is a werecat delicacy. It is served in small saucers, which are lapped until spotless. Serve eggnog in small cups topped with whipped cream.
Liver Pâté: While werecats find raw liver quite appealing, your guests will probably not find a plate of raw liver slices welcome. Offer a place of crackers along with a delicious liver pâté, such as liverwurst.
Chicken Fingers: Poultry is another mainstay of werecats. They happily gobble up chickens, ducks, and turkeys. Serve strips of breaded and baked or fired chicken for a tasty snack.
Deviled Eggs: What werecat wouldn’t love a rich, creamy deviled egg? Make a plateful and enjoy.
Grape Toss: Werecats can’t digest fruit when in their cat forms. But they do enjoy grapes and berries when in human form. It is unknown whether they like the flavors or if they just enjoy entertaining themselves, but they have been observed to spend hours tossing the fruit into the air and catching it in their mouths. Offer a bowl of grapes or raisins, so you and your friends can do the same.
Mouse Tail Cookies: Choose a basic cookie dough recipe that you can press through a frosting bag or plastic bag with the end snipped off. Form mouse tail shapes with the dough on the cookie sheet. Bake and serve. Dip the ends in melted chocolate if you wish. Alternately, you could make mouse-shaped cookies: Search Google to find a recipe.
