The myths and superstitions about cats

[TeenHelp]

The myths and superstitions about cats
By Cassie (Calico.)

Although many people think of cats as lovable, beautiful creatures, there are some who may dislike them for reasons that may not be immediately obvious. These reasons go back to a few hundred years ago, to a time when cats were frowned upon due to superstitions. Today, some people believe black cats in particular are bad luck, and that leaves black cats at a disadvantage. They are the least likely to be adopted and the most likely to be euthanized in shelters worldwide. Unfortunately, black cats are still mistreated and shelters have to take extra precaution with them. Some shelters do not allow black cats to be adopted in the weeks leading up to Halloween. It is highly recommended to keep your cat indoors as much as you can during the month of October. This is regardless of color but it is especially true if your cat is black. Some people still think negatively of cats and will harm them because of their views or just in the Halloween spirit. While many superstitions are directed at black cats, some are directed at all cats.

However, it hasn't always been this way. In Egypt, cats were once a sacred symbol of elegance. Bastet (Bast) was among one of the many cat goddesses in Egypt. She represented the strength in domestic cats. Because of Bastet, cats were highly valued; they were given jeweled collars and they were allowed to eat from traditional dishes. Cats were also highly valued because the Egyptians were pleased by their ability to kill unwanted pests. When a cat died, its family went into mourning and shaved their eyebrows out of respect. Cats were mummified and buried in cat cemeteries. Several hundred thousand mummified cats were uncovered when Bastet’s temple was excavated [source]. Intentionally killing a cat was considered a capital crime.

Cats were painted in a negative light during the Middle Ages. In an old folktale, a father and son were traveling one night when a black cat ran in front of them. The child threw rocks in the cat’s direction and ended up injuring the cat. The cat ran under the house of a woman who had been recently accused of witchcraft. The father saw the woman at the market the following day and she was injured in the same place that the cat had been injured. It was thought that witches turned into black cats during the night to spy on people. It was also thought that witches had cats to help them perform their magic. Anyone who had a cat was considered a witch. Cats were treated with such cruelty that the entire cat population nearly became nonexistent in Europe. The lack of cats also made the Bubonic Plague worse than it could have been if cats had been around to kill the infected rats.

People soon began to accuse others of witchcraft more often. The pets of the accused were harmed before their owners were. They were often slaughtered or burned alive solely because they were cats. During the Salem Witch trials, nineteen people were hanged on Gallows Hill from June to September of 1692. Another estimated twenty people died in jail while waiting for their trials. People who pleaded guilty were hanged, and people who did not plead guilty were hanged. Even after the Salem Witch trials, cats were still killed as a form of entertainment in different countries. Thankfully, authorities outlawed cruelty toward cats in 1765.

There are a lot of negative superstitions surrounding cats. If a black cat walked toward you, it was considered good luck by many cultures. If a black cat walked away from you, it was considered bad luck because the cat supposedly took away any good luck you had to begin with. In Europe, if a cat went near a dead body, it was thought that the cat took away the soul before the Gods could take it. The body of the person would ultimately become a vampire. People sat with the dead bodies of their relatives to protect them until their burial. Cats near tombstones in cemeteries meant that the person's soul was given to the devil. Two black cats near a tombstone symbolized an angel and a devil fighting for the person's soul. Cats born in the month of May were automatically considered witches. People thought witches could turn into cats. If a witch became a human, a cat would no longer live in her home.

In the early 1800s, cruelty to cats dramatically decreased and people began to respect them again. Cats became valued family pets. Today, cats are cherished by their owners. Black cats are still seen as unlucky by some cultures, but others see it differently. Cats are considered good luck by the cultures in Japan, Germany, and Scotland. Black cats are considered lucky by the Japanese. They're especially lucky when owned by a single woman; it is thought that black cats bring single women companionship. The Germans believe a black cat walking toward you is good luck, and the Scottish believe black cats bring prosperity. Some people give black cats as a wedding gift to give good luck to a marriage [source].

Cats are well loved today, but it took a few hundred years for people to begin treating cats kindly again. Many people take comfort in the companionship of a cat. What do you think about the myths and superstitions of cats?