Cait Sith (Final Fantasy VII)

Cait Sith is a playable character in Final Fantasy VII and Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, also appearing in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- as a summon, and in a small role in Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII- and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. He is a cat riding a giant stuffed toy moogle, initially working as a fortune-teller in the Gold Saucer.

Appearance
Cait Sith is an anthropomorphic remote-controlled plush toy cat standing just over three feet tall with short black fur and a white stomach and face. He wears a short red cape and white gloves and a small crown. According to Final Fantasy 10th Anniversary Ultimania the crown is an indispensable part of Cait Sith pertaining to Reeve Tuesti's hobby, although the hobby's nature is not specified. Cait Sith does not possess any outward robotic features although he is still recognized as such.

In Final Fantasy VII, Cait Sith rides a large robotic moogle that, according to the Final Fantasy VII instruction manual, he brought to life. The 10th Anniversary Ultimania states the moogle was manufactured to gather intelligence by the Shinra Electric Power Company's Urban Development Department. In Final Fantasy VII it is never specified if Cait Sith is controlling the moogle robot, or if the Shinra Executive Reeve is controlling both himself, but the 10th Anniversary Ultimania states Reeve controls the moogle through Cait Sith's megaphone. Like Cait Sith, the moogle is capable of action and is the one to fight even though Cait Sith is the one equipped for battle. According to the instruction manual, Cait Sith uses his megaphones to shout orders to the moogle. In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Cait Sith rides on the back of Red XIII and does not exhibit any fighting capabilities on his own.

Personality
As he is merely a robot controlled by Reeve Tuesti, Cait Sith's character can be difficult to perceive. Cait Sith does act noticeably different from Reeve, in particular, his speech patterns are looser, and in the English versions of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, he has a Scottish accent while Reeve does not. Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania elaborates that because Reeve is the one operating him, the Cait Sith in the Japanese versions speaks with the unique accent of Reeve's original Kansai dialect.

Cait Sith often refers to himself in the first person, and, as it would be impractical for Reeve to control Cait Sith directly all the time, he could have a sort of artificial intelligence. In Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII- when under the player's control, Cait Sith still speaks on his own. Thus, a rough picture of Cait Sith's persona can be made. When Cait Sith is depicted as being directly controlled by Reeve in Final Fantasy VII, it is not clarified how he controls him as he is seen at times with a direct link to Cait Sith with no visual means of controlling him. In Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, it is revealed Reeve controls Cait Sith mentally.

Cait Sith is fun-loving and playful, but cowardly and a poor fighter. He can be loud and irritate others. When Reeve affirms it is him and not Cait Sith speaking, he criticizes AVALANCHE's actions and even implies AVALANCHE is as destructive and dangerous as Shinra. Although Cait Sith initially opposes AVALANCHE due to their attacks on Mako Reactors, upon seeing how hard Cloud and his friends fight to save the planet of Gaia, he has a change of heart. Cait Sith makes a hobby of telling people their fortunes, which often turn out to be correct, if vague.

One of the few cases where Cait Sith asserts his seeming sentience is at the Temple of the Ancients where Cait Sith, referring to himself in the first person, tells the party not to forget about him "even if another Cait Sith comes along". Afterwards, a second Cait Sith appears and introduces himself. If Reeve were entirely in control, Cait Sith's mentions of sacrifice, and the second Cait Sith introducing himself, would be redundant, so one could take this scene to assume Cait Sith has a mind of his own.

Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-
A prototype Cait Sith aids the Turks in the search for Support Materia. He meets the player Turk after having trouble being activated, and tells them their fortune. Cait Sith leads the Turk to Tseng, where Reeve reveals he is its controller and has Cait Sith give the Turk a second fortune, which states that one of the Zirconiade's Support Materia is in Gongaga.

Cait Sith accompanies the Turk to find the Materia and tells the Turk he knows they are working for Veld, a defected former leader of the Turks, but he (meaning Reeve) knows Veld and does not tell President Shinra. Cait Sith is impressed by the Turk's strength and wishes he could fight. Cait Sith is damaged, and Reeve resents the robot's limited combat abilities. He devises ways to strengthen it, but such improvements would hamper Cait Sith's agility and movement. Reeve later has an epiphany leading to Cait Sith riding a moogle.

The Turk gathers the parts to repair Cait Sith and rebuilds him. Reeve allows the Turk to use a backup controller to control Cait Sith while he attends a meeting. Vice President Rufus Shinra learns of the robot from Tseng and suggests it be used for reconnaissance. The Turk uses Cait Sith to infiltrate the Mako Reactor and retrieve the Materia, using the robot's prediction powers to find the correct doorways into the reactor core.

Final Fantasy VII
Cloud Strife and his party meet a rebuilt and improved Cait Sith at the Gold Saucer during their world-wide search for Sephiroth. He tries to tell Cloud's fortune and after several failed attempts predicts that "What you pursue will be yours. But you will lose something dear." Spooked by the prediction, Cait Sith forces Cloud to take him along, as he wishes to see what the fortune means. In reality, Reeve uses Cait Sith to spy on Cloud and his allies and report back to Shinra. Cloud suspects soon after leaving Gold Saucer the party has a traitor, but does not know it is Cait Sith.

When the party returns to Gold Saucer to obtain the Keystone to enter the Temple of the Ancients where the Black Materia lies, Cait Sith steals the Keystone while Cloud is absent from his hotel room, and hands it over to Tseng, the leader of the Turks. Caught, Cait Sith reveals he is being controlled by someone from Shinra, but won't reveal who. Cait Sith claims he is intrigued by Cloud and his friends' selflessness, and has reluctantly taken Barret's adoptive daughter, Marlene, as a hostage, forcing Cloud's party to allow him to remain with them, and pointing them towards the temple to make up for his betrayal.

The Temple of the Ancients turns out to be a giant puzzle meant to trap anybody who would try to take the Black Materia. The temple itself is the Materia, but it has to be shrunk from the inside to claim it. As a robot, Cait Sith offers to sacrifice himself to get the Black Materia, and the party bids him goodbye, Aeris allowing him to tell her fortune one last time. Cait Sith is crushed in the temple, but Reeve is prepared and a second Cait Sith, identical to the original, arrives moments later.

After Sephiroth summons Meteor and Shinra has captured Tifa and Barret in Junon, Tifa is put in the gas chamber to be executed as a scapegoat for the crisis. As Shinra Executive Scarlet locks her in, Sapphire Weapon attacks the city. A disguised Cait Sith incapacitates Scarlet with knock-out gas and frees Barret. The two flee through Junon's streets and reach the airship Highwind, hijacked by the rest of the party. The Weapon's attack frees Tifa from the gas chamber, and she is flown out of the city on-board the Highwind.

In a reversal of his original role, Cait Sith serves as a spy for AVALANCHE and lets them listen in on Shinra's meetings. He tells the party about Shinra's search for the Huge Materia and announces Shinra's fall following Diamond Weapon's attack on Midgar. After Rufus Shinra, now president of the company, is presumed dead in Diamond Weapon's attack on the Shinra Headquarters, Scarlet and Heidegger take over and have Reeve imprisoned. As Reeve begs for AVALANCHE's aid via Cait Sith, he inadvertently blows his cover as the cat's master.

As the final battle looms near, Cloud asks his comrades to each find a reason to fight, and everyone departs to ponder over it. Cait Sith goes dormant, and its lifeless body remains within the Highwind, until Reeve decides to join in and reactivates Cait Sith. The party fells Sephiroth within the Northern Cave and as the Meteor descends on Midgar, Reeve tells the party through Cait Sith he has had the metropolis evacuated. Cait Sith worries it was not enough as the Meteor rips Midgar apart, but Aeris commands the Lifestream to push back the Meteor so Holy may destroy it.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Two years later Cait Sith, riding on Red XIII, joins the remaining members of AVALANCHE to help Cloud defeat Bahamut SIN, although he says he can't handle the monster. When Cloud awakens in the pool of water in Sector 5 Church after having once again defeated Sephiroth, his friends gather around him and Cait Sith is among the crowd, being held by Marlene.

In Advent Children Complete, during Marlene's narration of the events of Final Fantasy VII, Cait Sith rides his moogle into battle in the Northern Cave, while in the film's original cut he rode on Red XIII and was not immediately noticeable among Red XIII's fur.

Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-


Cait Sith is first sighted in Kalm when Deepground attacks, posing as Reeve Tuesti when meeting with Vincent, but Deepground soldiers destroy his disguise. In Mako Reactor 0 Cait Sith aids Vincent and after the mission, Nero captures him and uses him to enter the Shera.

Another Cait Sith is built by Reeve (Cait Sith #5) with all the memories of the previous four models. He uses Synaptic Net Dive (SND) after Shelke to show the World Regenesis Organization (WRO) the horrors experienced by Deepground victims. Using the data, the WRO realizes Deepground is trying to make a Lifestream pure of Jenova to summon Omega.

Gameplay


Cait Sith is a playable party member in Final Fantasy VII who uses megaphones to give orders to his moogle. His stats aside from magic are lower than most characters', and lots of his damage is random. He has only two Limits, Dice and Slots, which are unique in function and based on randomness. His megaphones tend to have many Materia slots to take advantage of his magic stats. His ultimate weapon, the HP Shout deals more damage the higher his HP is.

In Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Cait Sith appears as a summon to assist Zack on the Digital Mind Wave. He uses Courage Boost! to grant several beneficial statuses for Zack. It is obtained from a treasure chest in Zack, the Materia Hunter 8-4-3, Suspicious Mail.

In Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- Cait Sith is temporarily playable in Mako Reactor 0. He can also be used a playable character in several of the Extra Missions.

Creation and development
According to the Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega, Cait Sith's role in the final product bears few differences to how he was originally conceived — a robotic spy from Shinra controlled by Reeve. As Cait Sith/Reeve grew fonder to the members of AVALANCHE, he would have developed a kinship with them and found his loyalties between them and Shinra torn.

In a scenario cut from the final product, AVALANCHE would have needed to shut down the Mako Reactors around the world to help combat Sephiroth, but would have been unable to strike them all in time. At risk of jeopardizing his position at Shinra, Reeve would have shut the reactors down himself. The scenario developed into Shinra using the Sister Ray powered by Mako Reactors, during which Reeve tries to talk them out of using the cannon and is arrested.

Cait Sith's job class was originally listed as "Toysaurus (Beastmaster)", his age would have been given as 9 years old, and instead of megaphones, he would have fought using whips and cards.

Cait Sith rides on the back of Red XIII in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Tetsuya Nomura has mentioned in interviews the idea transpired based on an old game concept he once had, which included a cat riding on a dog.

Voice
Cait Sith is voiced by Hideo Ishikawa in Japanese. He shares his Japanese voice actor with Auron from Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2, Squall Leonhart from Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, (and by extension, Leon from the Kingdom Hearts series), and Qator Bashtar from Final Fantasy Type-0.

He is voiced by Greg Ellis in English.

Musical themes
"Cait Sith's Theme" plays during his introduction in the Wonder Square, and later before he sacrifices himself in the Temple of the Ancients.

"Cait Sith's Theme" is included on the second disc of Final Fantasy VII Vinyl Limited Edition compilation album.

Other appearances

 * Dissidia Final Fantasy in a cameo.
 * Pictlogica Final Fantasy as a playable character.
 * Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade as a series of abilities.
 * Final Fantasy Artniks as a series of cards.
 * Final Fantasy Record Keeper as a playable character.
 * Final Fantasy Trading Card Game as a series of cards.
 * Triple Triad as a card.

Games
A costume for Cait Sith in  was released on November 6, 2014.

Trivia

 * Along with Vincent, Cait Sith is one of the only two Final Fantasy VII characters to have more than one playable appearance in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. If non-Compilation games are counted, Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Zack, and Sephiroth also have more than one playable appearance.
 * It is unexplained how or why Cait Sith's moogle was removed from his later appearances in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. The only other time the moogle is seen outside of Final Fantasy VII is in the opening of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete.
 * Early in Final Fantasy VII, during the Wall Market series of quests, if the player enters the Honey Bee Inn and peeks through the keyhole of the Lover's Room, there is a tiny Cait Sith to the far right of the screen. The room is occupied by an elderly couple who refer to each other as "Grandma" and "Grandpa".
 * During the seventh chapter of Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, Cait Sith refers to the film  by saying "Number 5 is alive!" when spoken to on the Shera. This line is said by the film's main character, Number 5, as the film's closing line. The Final Fantasy 10th Anniversary Ultimania hints that this means the Cait Sith seen is the fifth body for Cait Sith, the earlier ones having been destroyed one way or another.
 * If Cloud rides the gondola in Gold Saucer with Cait Sith, Cait Sith will be too big to fit on the seat and will stand facing toward the player.
 * The quote of the minion Cait Sith Doll is "What may be a few to you was everything to those who died...", a line Cait Sith said to Barret in Final Fantasy VII in regard to collateral damage caused by AVALANCHE.
 * Although a folklore superstition of black cats being unlucky is common, in Japan and in Great Britain being crossed by a black cat is a sign of good luck. Although Cait Sith is not fully black, this belief may have influenced him being made a fortune teller.
 * The fortune given to Cloud by Cait Sith in Gold Saucer is referred to in the Square Enix title Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. In the opening Marluxia informs Sora that "Along the road ahead lies something you need, however in order to claim it, you must lose something that is dear to you."