Also known as a feline, and possibly the finest animal in the world, especially in its popular domesticated form. While not creatures of fantasy per se, the millennia of mystical and magical associations that have surrounded cats were likely what led them to be included in Knightmare.
Level 3 of Series 3 featured a striking feline chamber. Two black cats (presumably statues), either side of a pit, would periodically shoot fiery blasts into it, and the pit in turn would be covered intermittently by a floor. This was obviously the moment for the dungeoneers to cross, and the teams (4 and 11) had to time their actions accordingly. The cats' collars followed a 'traffic light' lighting system to help with this. While Egyptian mythology had no explicit presence in the Dungeon, the chamber paid homage to Ancient Egyptian design and reverence towards cats. (See Feline Fire for TES' profile of this room.) One of Merlin's Series 3 'moment of testing' questions was about cats too. Team 3 of the same series was told by Velda that the 'first step' was the cat.

According to Motley in Series 4, the Dungeon had a resident, free-roaming cat, which he saw from time to time (though the Watchers did not). His use of Grow-Me-Quick saved dungeoneer Nicky of Team 3 from being small enough to fall victim to the Dungeon cat.

During Series 6, Sidriss revealed that she owned a cat, Bethsemane (or Gethsemane - the pronunciation is a tad unclear). Due to being a Cheshire cat, Bethsemane was sometimes invisible, making her hard for Sidriss to find (e.g. during Team 3's quest), though she could still be heard. During Team 4's quest, a mouse-sized Motley feared that Bethsemane would prey upon him. Bethsemane was seen by Team 5 of Series 7. The cat can now be found (or not) in the Crazed Heifer area of the KM fan community's Knightmare Roleplay Forum.
Also in Series 7, Julie of Team 6 of Series 7 became a giant black cat herself, by means of a Catnip potion. This was sufficient to scare off the superstitious Raptor, though why he was adhering to American black cat superstition is unknown. During the quest of Team 3 of Series 8, Hordriss had taken the form of a big black cat in a failed attempt to go incognito.

The presence of the feline in the Dungeon has been maintained through Ruke and Toddy's roles in various Knightmare RPGs. Ruke and Toddy are part-feline and part-human (similar to the humanoid Cat in sci-fi series Red Dwarf). In addition, a few cats were featured in the Knightmare books: Pussillanimous in The Forbidden Gate and Malkin in Lord Fear's Domain, both witches' familiars, and Snuggles in The Labyrinths Of Fear, a black cat owned by an unnamed hunchback.
[Earlier version: 2006-07-31 18:43:57]

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