Class feature in a feat's requrements

[Bling]

What does it mean to have a class feature? Boon Companion says that you need the class feature to take it, but does that also get met if you have a familiar from feats like Arcane Heritage (Arcane Bloodline) or an animal companion from domain powers like Animal at level 4?

[Darksol the Painbringer]

A Familiar is not an Animal Companion; it's a Familiar. There are feats with separate requirements from Familiars or Animal Companions, so a Familiar does not qualify you to take Boon Companion. On the other hand, a Familiar allows you to take Improved Familiar, whereas an Animal Companion would not qualify.

Since the Animal Companion from the Animal Domain has similar elements (not to mention, it's even named animal companion), it would qualify for feats and abilities that require an Animal Companion class feature.

[Mucronis]

Boon Companion:

Boon Companion
Your bond with your animal companion or familiar is unusually close.

Prerequisites: Animal companion or familiar class feature.

Benefit: The abilities of your animal companion or familiar are calculated as though your class were 4 levels higher, to a maximum effective druid level equal to your character level. If you have more than one animal companion or familiar, choose one to receive this benefit. If you lose or dismiss an animal companion or familiar that has received this benefit, you may apply this feat to the replacement creature.

Special: You may select this feat more than once. The effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a different animal companion or familiar.

Boon Companion on d20pfsrd. as the feat is from the animal archive book.

Darksol, Boon companion looks for a Animal companion OR an Familiar class feature. getting a familiar from some outside source(and said source does NOT state it counts as the normal familiar class feature, then strict RAW, no luck)

This post shows though that it is not working as intended strictly RAW.

[James Risner]

There are posts from SKR and others that say if you gain a class ability (Animal Companion) from a non-class source, then you have the ability. So things that require the class ability work and things that enhance it enhance yours.

You can take Boon Companion with Familiars.

[Darksol the Painbringer]

Mucronis wrote:

** spoiler omitted **

Boon Companion on d20pfsrd. as the feat is from the animal archive book.

Darksol, Boon companion looks for a Animal companion OR an Familiar class feature. getting a familiar from some outside source(and said source does NOT state it counts as the normal familiar class feature, then strict RAW, no luck)

This post shows though that it is not working as intended strictly RAW.

Thanks for that clarification, my apologies on that.

Though my original point still remains: If you get the feature from some ability through you class (hence the term "class feature), or some other subject matter, you count as having that feature for the purposes of pre-requisites and other subjects pertaining to that feature.

[Bling]

http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2lczh?Animal-Companions-and-Boon-Companion#35
http://paizo.com/people/chavamana/wishlists/v5748l939kncz
I don't know if anybody knows about this Feat from Faiths and Philosophies, but this is what it reads:

Animal Ally:

Animal Ally
Your respect for nature is so great that you can form a
deep and lasting friendship with an animal.
Prerequisites: Nature Soul, character level 4th, must not
have an animal companion or mount that advances as an
animal companion.
Benefit: You gain an animal companion as if you were
a druid of your character level -3 from the following
list: badger, bird, camel, cat (small), dire rat, dog, horse,
pony, snake (viper), or wolf. If you later gain an animal
companion through another source (such as the Animal
domain, divine bond, hunter's bond, mount, or nature
bond class features), the effective druid level granted by
this feat stacks with that granted by other sources.

Nature Soul:

Nature Soul
You are innately in tune with nature and venerate the
power and mystery of the natural world.
Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on all Knowledge (nature)
checks and Survival checks. If you have 10 or more ranks in
one of these skills, the bonus increases to +4 for that skill.

This feat allows anybody to have the available animals and gives the class feature of a druid your character level -3. Animal companion is a class feature all the time, there is no such thing as having an animal companion without the class feature of a druid. That is why druid is always mentioned when any class gives you the druid class feature (which is called nature bond). The arcane bond from the Arcane bloodline is the same thing. That FAQ about not mentioning Wizard in the description of Boon Animal made me think of this. So with this feat you get the class feature of a druid, with restrictions.
This is my take.