Black Cat Superstitions

<u>Black Cat Superstitions</u>

Throughout history, the black cat has been a sign of either good fortune or trouble. Why have so many myths arisen? Well, in the seventeenth century, the cats became associated with witchcraft, causing the deaths of many cats. People believed that if you burned cats and other animals the Tuesday before the start of Lent that their homes would be safe from fire and other disasters. Also, cats, black or a different color, were taken to be witches, seeing as everyone knew that witches had the ability to turn into cats. Perhaps the bad feelings towards cats were caused by the ancient Egyptians. They worshiped cats, and anyone who killed one was hurt. Nowadays, the black cat is considered good or bad luck depending where you are in the world. In the United States and a few European countries, it is horrible luck to have a black cat wander your way. But in Japan and England, it is wonderful luck.

There are many good and also bad superstitions about black cats. Here are a few: Having a black cat at your door or in your home, possessing a black cat, seeing three black cats one after the other, and touching a black cat should bring good luck. But there are also bad things that could happen if anything like this happens: Shooing a black cat away from you home, passing beneath a ladder after a black cat has been beneath it, crossing the path of a black cat by the light of the moon means that you will die of a horrible disease, having a black cat turn its back on you or seeing one very early in the day. These superstitions aren’t the only ones, but a few of the most common.

Are any of these superstitions true? Well, that is up to you to decide.

<b>Sources</b>
http://www.trivia-library.com/a/origin-of-common-superstitions-black-cats.htm
http://www.csicop.org/superstition/library/blackcat.html