10 Ways The Warriors Series Was HP But With Cats

We all love Harry Potter. We love to read the books, reread the books, read the articles about which Harry Potter characters are most dateable—the whole deal. But have you ever had a moment, while deep into a reread of the series, when you thought, "Why can't there be a book series that's a lot like Harry Potter.... but with cats?" That's totally happened to you, right? No? Well, here are some ways that the Warriors Series was pretty much Harry Potter but with cats, anyway.

If you somehow missed out on Erin Hunter's Warriors books as a kid, then let me explain: the Warriors series begins with a young novice who's prophesied to be a great hero, who joins a hidden world, and is sorted into one of four groups. But with cats. OK, so it's not exactly Harry Potter (and I don't mean to suggest that Erin Hunter stole any ideas, because she pretty much owns the feral-cat-adventure-genre). But if you were a kid reading these books obsessively while waiting for the next Harry Potter book to come out, you noticed certain similarities.

For all you die-hard Thunderclan kids out there, I'm only going to tackle the first arc of the Warriors Series (because there are over 30 books in total, and because I do not remember who Squirrelpaw even is). So here are some ways that our favorite warrior cats remind us of our favorite wizards-in-training:

1. Thunderclan was basically Gryffindor

The four Warriors clans didn't have the whole nifty sorting hat deal—but they still had their different personalities. And our Thunderclan kitties were brave. They didn't lose too many fights, they had a wise crackpot leader, and they were as fierce as hell. They were also the main clan of the series, and they took in little Rusty/Firepaw when he was just an untrained house cat with dreams of glory.

2. Shadowclan was absolutely Slytherin

I mean. Yeah. Shadowclan was (unsurprisingly) the shadiest clan of the four. Like Slytherin, not all Shadowclan cats were default evil... at least, Yellowfang had her whole Snape-style double-agent vibe. But for the most part, the Shadowclan cats were a snooty, slightly creepy bunch of cats, and they always had it out for Thunderclan in particular.

3. Riverclan was kind of Ravenclaw?

This one is a bit more of a stretch, but the Riverclan cats did have a reputation for being clever. And for loving to eat fish. Look, it's not a perfect parallel. But they had smarts and stubbornness, and they weren't as openly evil as Shadowclan, which sounds like Ravenclaw to me.

4. Windclan was a little bit Hufflepuff

Poor Windclan, man. They were a mess. I mean, they had the classic Hufflepuff loyalty, but they were also the most bullied, overlooked clan. Like, Shadowclan just straight up drives the entire clan off of their lands. Which might not sound so drastic if you pull back and consider that it's really just feral cats chasing other feral cats across a street... but in the moment it felt very upsetting. Hang in there, Windclan.

5. They lived in a secret world

The Warrior cats lived in the real world. But their complex cat society was hidden away from prying "twoleg" eyes, much like the secret Wizarding World was hidden from muggles. Cats even threw shade at former "kittypets," like Fireheart/Rusty, because they were originally house cats gone rouge, instead of feral cats from birth. Like how most of the wizards were totally nasty to muggleborns (both "kittypet" and "muggleborn" are equally cuddly names for outcasts, though).

6. There were prophecies all over the place

Both series went in hard on the whole prophecy thing. Rusty is accepted into Thunderclan and renamed Firepaw because there's a prophecy that only "fire" can save the cats. Harry is dragged through a whole bunch of nonsense by Dumbledore and then has to track down Voldemort and kill him because Trelawney said so. Luckily for everyone, both kids/kittens turn out to live up to all the hype.

7. Graystripe is such a Ron

Graystripe might be a touch less goofy. But he's a cheerful, loyal friend, and a lowkey romantic, a lot like Ron. He's also the first friend that Rusty/Firepaw makes in his new home, like Ron was for Harry (except that Ron is a person and not a cat). True, there was no Hermione cat for him to freak out over, but he managed to cause all kinds of drama by falling for a cat from another clan.

8. Bluestar has definite Dumbledore qualities

Bluestar was the wise leader of Thunderclan, who took Firepaw under her wing (...paw?) and taught him how to be a great warrior. Her trusted second-in-command was plotting to kill her. And by the end of her reign she was cracking up. She was very much a Dumbledore figure: wise, kind, and pretty much batshit by the end.

9. Sandstorm is sort of Ginny??

Sandpaw/storm was never anything like cute, young Ginny. Baby Ginny was gaga over Harry, and painfully shy. Kitten Sandpaw openly hated Firepaw, and was sassy as anything. But both of them matured into feisty, athletic, tough-as-nails cats/witches, who were every bit the equal of the cat (or wizard) they married (or mated).

10. Rusty/Firepaw/Fireheart/Firestar is Harry

Rusty/Firestar went through a lot of different names, but he was always the same, heroic orange cat at the end of the day. He didn't quite have Harry's sass or incredible teenage angst, but he was also deeply invested in saving the cats/people in his adopted home. If any non-magical cat could hold a candle to the boy who lived it would definitely be Rusty/Firepaw/Fireheart/Firestar (although he might want to invest in a shorter name).

Images: Warner Bros, Giphy (11)