Cats (no, not the musical)

[Flying Ford Anglia]

No: HPFGUIDX 3878

Amanda said:

<<<<As to Crookshanks, I don't think he's really a cat. Or not just a 
cat. But I don't think he's an Animagus, either. But when Sirius said 
he was the most intelligent of his kind that he'd come across, he 
didn't really specify what that kind was, did he?>>>>

***
To me, Crookshanks and The Sorting Hat are two of the most intriguing 
characters in these books, and we've had the odd hint that both are 
significant in some way. I'm dying to know more (but, ahem, not 
enough to ask JKR about it).

I think that all the cats are there to protect Harry in some way. I 
still wonder why McGonagall (as a cat) was watching the Dursley house 
when Dumbledore turned up; could it have had more to do with her 
instinct as a cat than needing to catch up with Albus?  I know I'm 
repeating myself, but it was odd that she was sitting outside No.4 
but was then surprised to learn that Harry was being delivered 
there.  

There's probably much more to Mrs Figg's cats than meets the eye 
too.  Some of them were named, weren't they?  I must go and look up 
the names - they might mean something.  

Crookshanks pretty much chose Hermione.  Why did she buy such an 
unlikely specimen unless she was 'influenced' in some way?  Why did 
we hear so little about Crookshanks in GoF?  

Anyway, here's me just asking questions and not providing any 
answers...typical.

Neil