Magic Forums

I am a beginner, but I'd like to have a familiar. The thing is that after all the things I've read, I didn't get the information that I needed. So I'll just start off here.

I want a familiar. The thing is that I do not know how to get one without using an actual animal.
I'd like my familiar to be an owl, because it has a lot of knowledge that I may need. It would be a real help also since I'm very forgetting, so it could not only help me with spell casting but also my "daily life". But Afcourse, you don't simply get an owl. So maybe there's a way somehow of getting a familiar without using "actual" animals. (I got two cats. But I'm scared that I will hurt them or so. Not to mention, how does the cat become your familiar anyway? Will the cat be the same as before?)

Another question is..
What are familiars? I once heard that it are Demons that are just "bound" to you. When I heard that, I immediately took a step back.
But I don't believe that that's what they are.

How do I feed my familiar, by the way? With "actual food" or energy?

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I read a article once which was very helpful, but it will be highly appreciated if these questions could be answered due how they are keeping me stuck.

All comments are highly appreciated!