I'm looking to bind a familiar in the next 5 window (assuming I have what it takes to do so.)
Target animal: tortoiseshell cat.
Note: I think it could be a really interesting story/roleplaying element to have a male tortoiseshell cat as a familiar. I realize this is very rare, but am open to exploring what that might take to find and bind. If it's too unreasonable, female works well too.
Would he be looking in Hibernia, Loch Leglean, Stonehenge or Rhine?
Rhine.
In that case he will probably be rolling a simple die+ int+ order of Hermes lore to determine who will have adoptable cats/kittens Target 12, one roll per season, counts as study (4xp) experience in order of Hermes lore.
Rolled 12 on the Discord roller. Don't remember if ArM requires a meet or exceed on die rolls.
meet, so you are able to find a cat in a single season, I'm going to give it a might of 8 (base might 5)
Male or female tortoiseshell?
Season spent Binding:
Familiar Bonding Level:
8 (MM) + 25 + -15 (5 * -3 Cat Size) = 18
Familiar Bonding Lab Total (In Me):
27 (InMe) + 3 (Int) + 8 (MT) + 3 (Aura) = 41
Bonding Cost: 9 pawns (In or Me)
Golden Cord +3 (30)
Silver Cord +1 (5)
Bronze Cord +1 (5)
Am I on the right track?
go with male, and you can take transvestite as racial to purcahase three more points in virtues.
You are on the right track, you can hold your lab total back by 1 to save yourself a pawn of vis.
I've put together a first stab at character sheet for the familiar: Aurelius (Familiar)
Assumptions:
Summer season.
Cat of Virtue (used RoP:M as best I could understand it.)
I've also updated this past 5 years into the Roll of Seasons: Bartomeus Roll Of Seasons
And have added an updated character sheet to reflect where Bartomeus is in 1218: Bartomeus In 1218
Making progress. I hope. 
Okay, magic animals are complicated- lets start with where you came up with the characteristics- did you refer to the cat template?
I did, but I thought from reading RoP: M p. 55 that I used the 7 point rule. My goal was to try to have a highly intelligent familiar (for the debates on magic theory).
The base characteristics are: Base Characteristics: Cun/Int 0, Per +1, Pre -, Com -4, Str -7, Dex +3, Qik +4
I tried to stay consistent with that but was tripped up a bit by the statement in RoP:M about staying within the +3 / -3. I might be getting confused by the distinction between Magic Character and Magic Animal.
My intent is to amplify intelligence.
The 7 point rule applies to player characters, and even then should be based on the template, not just personal preferences. Otherwise what you are getting isn't really a cat.
So, starting with the cat template, what is the process, not simply the goal or intent that you are following?
My intention is to use the process outlined in Chapter 5 of RoP:M using the "Magical Lineage of Cats" section on page 70 to inform and guide that process.
Looking back at page 70 at the "Cat Character Template" box, I could hold to that tighter. I used it for the first draft to guide me but I think my confusion on characteristics and the 7 point rule confused me.
With that in mind, process looks to me like this:
Magic Might: 8 (set by SG)
Characteristics: take the unadjusted stats from Book of Mundane Beasts (Cun/Int 0, Per +1, Pre -, Com -4, Str -7, Dex +3, Qik +4)
Virtues and Flaws: Taken from ArM 5e and RoP:M. Balance to 10.
Qualities: 8 pts to spend (Magic Might). Inequalities to add points. I'm unclear here if I'm required to take the 5 from Mundane Animals (Ambush Predator, Crafty, Good Jumper, Skilled Climber, Thick Fur) or if those are choices. If they're required, then that limits what I can add to 3 pts + any pts gained from inequality.
Confirm personality traits.
Apply ability points (360 points, summer season) per the ArM 5e rules and assumption that the starting point is the abilities outlined in Mundane Beasts (195 xp): Athletics 3 (jumping), Awareness 4+2 (at night), Brawl 2 (claws), Hunt 4 (mice), Stealth 4 (stalking)
What am I missing?
To begin with, hereditary virtues and flaws (those which apply due to species) should be separate from individual virtues and flaws
after that I see on your qualities improved intelligence but I'm not sure what the basis was for raising perception, strength, stamina, and communication.
OK on the hereditary virtues and flaws. That's helpful.
The change on perception, str, sta, and com was what I came up with when I was using the 7 point system. Since that's not how it is done, we go back to the unadjusted characteristics from Mundane Beasts (Cun/Int 0, Per +1, Pre -, Com -4, Str -7, Dex +3, Qik +4).
The idea was that improved intelligence would kick up the Int from 0 to +1.
improved characteristic improved a characteristic that is already at +5 or higher by 1. At 0 you are better off taking improved characteristics as a minor virtue/quality giving you 3 points to increase a 0 to +2 instead of +1.
Also 7 points would not have given you the characteristics you posted because size is also a factor in that calculation, but since we aren't using that method it isn't relevant at this juncture.
OK.
Adding Improved Characteristics as minor virtue/quality.
Increasing Int from 0 to +2.
Characteristics are now: Int 2, Per +1, Pre -, Com -4, Str -7, Dex +3, Qik +4
You still have presence 0 instead of the racial -2, where did this improvement come from?
You also still need to separate virtues and flaws out between racial and personal.