Cat's Claws (Final Fantasy IX)

The Cat's Claws is Amarant's initial claw in Final Fantasy IX that teaches him the Flair ability Chakra, which lets him replenish one ally's HP and MP. All of Amarant's weapons besides his ultimate weapon teach Counter, a passive ability that lets him respond to being physically attacked with an Attack of his own. Though it takes a lot of AP to master, this is inconsequential as until the very end of the game all of Amarant's weapons have Counter and it is impossible to de-equip him of a weapon altogether.
==Obtain==
Amarant joins the party with the Cat's Claws equipped. It can also be bought for 4000 gil from Alexandria and Treno after Amarant joins the party, but there is little point as the Cat's Claws are not needed for synthesis. The Cat's Claws is also found in Ipsen's Castle, in the corner of the large room in near the beginning where the moogle resides.
==Mechanics==
The Cat's Claws' damage dealt with a normal Attack is determined as follows everywhere but within Ipsen's Castle:
:Base = 23 - Enemy's Defense
:Bonus = Strength + A random value 0 ... [(Level + Strength) / 8]
:Damage = Base * Bonus 
The damage is then modified by variables like Amarant's row position and equipped Killer abilities and MP Attack, as well as the enemy's Protect. Under Mini, his Bonus would be 1. If Amarant equips Healer, damage is converted to healing.
When in Ipsen's Castle, the stronger weapons do less damage than weaker weapons, and the Base part of the damage formula is altered to:
:Base = 37 - Enemy's Defense
The Cat's Claws is Amarant's best weapon for using Attack in Ipsen's Castle, but he is not in the party during most of it and there is no need to ever return after the storyline events therein.
==Use==
The Cat's Claws is Amarant's initial weapon though the player could already have the superior Poison Knuckles when he joins from prior shops and stolen off himself. The Cat's Claws is the only claw that teaches Chakra, but Amarant could also learn it from a Leather Plate, allowing the player to immediately de-equip the Cat's Claws and swap for the Poison Knuckles. Chakra is a good ability and worth mastering at the earliest.
The Cat's Claws is Amarant's weapon for attacking when inside the Ipsen's Castle, however, he is not in the party for most of it or in the boss battle, and so it is fairly pointless for him, even if the Cat's Claws are found near the beginning of the dungeon.
==Merchandise==
The Cat's Claws being Amarant's initial weapon, it is included with her in some of his merchandise, such as Coca-Cola bottlecap figure, her official action figure, and Bring Arts.
Amarant by Coca Cola.jpg|Coca-Cola figure.
Amarant and Kuja Bring Arts for FFIX.jpg|Bring Arts.
==Gallery==
CatsClaws.png|Artwork.
Cat's Claws.png|Strategy guide scan.
Amarant-ffix-battle.png|Amarant with the Cat's Claws.
== Etymology and origin==
The early games in the Final Fantasy series correctly portrayed the weapon as a dagger or rapier. From Final Fantasy III onwards, it began to be portrayed as a knuckle or claw type weapon designed to look like a cat's paw, presumably because they did not know what the weapon was originally supposed to be a reference to (understandable considering how obscure a reference it is). Amarant's "Cat's Claw" is likewise a claw weapon.
Category:Weapons in Final Fantasy IX