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Harry Potter character
Chapter illustration from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by Mary GrandPré that depicts Crookshanks.
Crookshanks
Gender	Male
Species	Cat/Kneazle
Owner	Hermione Granger
Special powers	Can Sense Animagi
First appearance	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

In the Harry Potter series, Crookshanks is the pet cat of Hermione Granger. Crookshanks is obtained in the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Crookshanks is described as having ginger fur, a bottle-brush tail and squat, bandy legs. He was also described as having a "squashed face," which was inspired by a real cat J.K. Rowling once saw that she said looked like it had run face first into a brick wall (probably a Persian). Hermione bought Crookshanks from a shop in Diagon Alley out of sympathy, as nobody wanted him due to his squashed-looking face. However, despite her less-than-ideal reasons for purchasing him, Hermione has grown incredibly close to her cat, as he has to her.

Crookshanks had a habit of trying to hunt down the pet rat of Ron Weasley, Scabbers. This caused a great deal of fighting between Ron and Hermione in the third book.

Crookshanks in the Harry Potter movies

J.K. Rowling has confirmed that Crookshanks is part Kneazle, giving an explanation for his higher than normal cat intelligence and stature. Because of this, he was immediately aware that Scabbers, Ron Weasley's pet rat, was not a real rat, and that the huge black dog lurking around the school was not a real dog. Crookshanks was proved right - Scabbers was in fact Peter Pettigrew, and the dog was Sirius Black. Sirius eventually persuaded Crookshanks to trust him and sent him to bring Pettigrew to him; Crookshanks, who had been pouncing on Scabbers from the moment the two had met, evidently agreed. Ron initially detested Crookshanks because of the cat's treatment of Scabbers; later, however, after Ron received Pigwidgeon, he used Crookshanks to test if it was really an owl.

Crookshanks' Kneazle heritage gives him a strong dislike for cheating and lying, and he has been known to stare disapprovingly at Harry and Ron when they cheat on their homework, reminding them eerily of Hermione.

When Harry arrives at the Burrow in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, he is immediately alerted to Hermione's presence by that of Crookshanks's.

"Crookshanks" means "bent legs". The cat is described as bow-legged when we first meet him.

• Extra information about Crookshanks from J.K. Rowling