As for health care, I assumed that witches were supposed to provide the need for health care, but they’ll take the fees for the system out of your pay packet, so you must be able to access it.

There are very strict laws on the importation of animals, and a six month quarantine, so that would be a major problem, but back to the role models, I think Curmudgeon would approve of Greebo.

With Nomex long johns and a personal flotation device, you should be good to go.

Witchcraft, in various historical, anthropological, religious and mythological contexts

Cheers!

As for looks, you can brush up on Diskworld’s witches-in-residence, particularly Nanny Ogg (she’s a witch that knows how to have a good time… so much so, many run in fear from it!) Or, if you find Nanny to be a bit *too* much fun and want a more traditional witch type, then Granny Weatherwax might be more appropriate, though some would say she’s no fun at all! Opinions vary… Then, there is Magrat Garlick who some would say is a bit of a ‘goody two-shoes’. She’s also a vegetarian and something of a greenie. Also, she doesn’t really look much like a witch, though she did become Queen of Lancre. Nanny Ogg has the prefect cat for a witch, Greebo whom Nanny refers to as ‘Mr. Puss-puss’, but everyone else calls ‘gerroffyerbugger!!’. But, what’s in a name, eh?

BTW, Sir Pratchett wrote a book about Real Cat’s called ‘The Unadulterated Cat’.

Have fun!

cackle, can do. appropriate looks, can be bought.

don’t know about christopher houdini, bryan. he might make it to the first patch of groundcover outside the cave and cower there until found. these two would probably move outdoors and become arboreal, but most of the rest of them, if the cave had plenty of hiding places and food were served regularly, would be happy. might have to take the bookshelves with me, though it’s possible all my books of spells would be littering the cave floor.

but potions, yeah baby! that’s the part of the job description i find most attractive. also, the possibility of free health care, though one wonders if maybe witches are expected to be able to provide their own.

Badtux, Hipparchia is a grrl, and Britain has discrimination laws as strict as the US.

Hipparchia, do you think they would like the cave? Would you ever find Chistopher Houdini? You do have the chemistry background for potions though.

Umbrage, Jams? I’ve been trying the wrong things when the cats didn’t eat them, I’ll have to try umbrage. You don’t remember how much she used – sorry, you wouldn’t, frogs tend not to be interested in math.

Kryten, I think my 1st or 2nd grade teachers would have been good fits for the job. They were tall, scrawny old ladies who kept us little savages terrorized and had that witch look in spades. Give’em a pointy black hat and a cat, have’m cackle, and we woulda wet our pants big-time. But I was reading by the middle of the 1st grade (this was back in the days when they didn’t teach any reading in preschool here in the USA), so they obviously did something right!

Hipparchia: Yes, you have the cats. But do you have the cackle? And the, for lack of better words, appropriate looks? My understanding is that you’re rather too handsome and, err, wrong-gendered, for this particular job opening. Remember, age and gender discrimination is not illegal in England .

- Badtux the Snarky Penguin