Moves
- Back kick ¨Explosive surprise move to catch opponent from behind. Judge opponent's distance from you carefully; then lash out with your back legs, taking your weight on your front paws.
- Belly rake ¨A fight-stopper. Slice with unsheathed claws across soft flesh of opponent's belly. If you're pinned down, the belly rake quickly puts you back in control.
- Front paw blow ¨Frontal attack. Bring your front paw down hard on your opponent's head, claws sheathed.
- Front paw strike ¨Frontal attack. Slice downward with your front paw at the body or face of your opponent, claws unsheathed.
- Killing bite ¨A death blow to the back of the neck. Quick and silent and sometimes considered dishonorable. Used only as a last resort.
- Leaf-and-hold ¨Ideal for a small cat facing a large opponent. Spring onto opponent's back and grip with unsheathed claws. Now you are beyond the range of your opponent's paws and in position to inflict severe body wounds. Watch for the drop-and-roll countermove, and try to jump free before you get squashed.
- Partner fighting ¨Warriors who have trained and fought together will often instinctively fall into a paired defensive position, each protecting the other's back while fending off an opponent on either side. Slashing, clawing, and leaping together, battle pairs can be a whirlwind of danger for attackers.
- Play dead ¨Effective in a tight situation, such as when you are pinned. Stop struggling and go limp. When your opponent relaxes his grip, thinking you are defeated, push yourself up explosively. This will throw off an unwary opponent and put you in an attacking position.
- Scruff shake ¨Secure a strong teeth grip in the scruff of your opponent's neck; then shake violently until he or she is too rattled to fight back. Most effective against rats, which as small enough to throw.
- Teeth grip ¨Target your opponent's extremities ¨the legs, tail, scruff, or ears and sink in your teeth and hold. This move is similar to the leap-and-hold, except your claws remain free to fight.
- Upright lock ¨Final, crushing move on already weakened opponent. Rear up on back legs and bring full weight down on opponent. If opponent does the same, wrestled and flip him under you. This move makes you vulnerable to the belly rake, so requires great strength and speed.
Herbs
- Borage Leaves - To be chewed and eaten. The plant can be distinguished by its small blue or pink star-shaped flowers and hairy leaves. Great for nursing queens as it helps increase their supply of milk. Also brings down fever.
- Burdock Root - A tall-stemmed, sharp-smelling thistle with dark leaves. A medicine cat must dig up the roots, wash off the dirt, and chew them into a pulp, which can be applied to rat bites. Cures infection.
- Catmint (AKA Catnip)- A delicious-smelling, leafy plant that's hard to find in the wild; often found growing in Twoleg gardens. The best remedy for greencough. (Greencough: Severe chest infection, which can be fatal in elders and kits. Whitecough: mild chest infection.)
- Chervil - A sweet-smelling plant with large, spreading, fernlike leaves and small white flowers. The juice of the leaves can be used for infected wounds, and chewing the roots helps with bellyache.
- Cobweb - Spiderwebs can be found all over the forest. Medicine cats wrap it around ian injury to soak up the blood and keep the wound clean. Stops bleeding.
- Coltsfoot - A flowering plant, a bit like a dandelion, with yellow or white flowers. The leaves can be chewed into a pulp, which is eaten to help shortness of breath.
- Comfrey - Indentifiable by its large leaves and small bell-shaped flowers, which can be pink, white, or purple. The fat black roots of this plant can be chewed into a poultice to mend broken bones or soothe wounds.
- Dock - A plant similar to sorrel. The leaf can be chewed up and applied to soothe scratches.
- Dried Oak Leaf - Collected in the autumn and stored in a dry place. Stops infections.
- Feverfew - A small bush with flowers like daisies. The leaves can be eaten to cool down body temperature, particularly for cats with fever or chills.
- Goldenrod - A tall plant with bright yellow flowers. A poultice of this is terrific for healing wounds.
- Honey - A sweet, golden liquid created by bees. Difficult to collect without getting stung, but great for soothing infections or the throats of cats who have breathed smoke.
- Horsetail - S tall plant with bristly stems that grows in marshy areas. The leaves can be used to treat infected wounds. Usually chewed up and applied as a poultice.
- Juniper Berries - A bush with spiky dark green leaves and purple berries. The berries soothe bellyaches and help cats who are having trouble breathing.
- Lavender - A small purple flowering plant. Cures fever.
- Marigold - A bright orange or yellow flower that grows low to the ground. The petals or leaves can be chewed into a pulp and applied as a poultice to wounds. Sops infection.
- Mouse Bile - A bad-smelling liquid that is the only remedy for ticks. Dab a little moss soaked in bile on a tick and it'll fall right off. Wash paws thoroughly in running water afterward.
- Poppy Seed - Small black seeds shaken from a dried poppy flower, these are fed to cats to help them sleep. Soothes cats suffering from shock and distress. Not recommended for nursing queens.
- Stinging Nettle - The spiny green seeds can be administered to a cat who's swallowed poison, while the leaves can be applied to a wound to bring down swelling.
- Tansy - A strong-smelling plant with round yellow flowers. Good for curing coughs, but must be eaten in small doses.
- Thyme - This herbs can be eaten to calm anxiety and frayed nerves.
- Watermint - A leafy green plant found in streams or damp earth. Usually chewed into a pulp and then fed to a cat suffering bellyache.
- Wild Garlic - Rolling in a patch of wild garlic can help prevent infection, especially for dangerous wounds like rat bites.
- Yarrow - A flowering plant whose leaves can be made into a poultice and applied to wounds or scratches to expel poison.
- Deathberries - Red berries that can be fatally poisonous to kits and elders. They are NOT a medicine. Known to Twolegs as yew berries.
