Black Cats

In other cultures, cats in general and in some cases black cats specifically are considered good omens. So why should it be different in the Anglo-American cultures?

Black cats got their unlucky reputation through association with 'witches', those notably unlucky women targeted by neighbors as in league with the devil. Usually women living alone - a suspicious circumstance in and of itself! - these women might have one or more cats about the house at pets or vermin control. Since black is the color of 'bad' in the West, black cats were especially suspect, and the black cat became the 'witch's familiar' who helped her work her malign magic against her peers.

Kitty Karma

During the height of the witch-hunt craze in Britain, black cats and cats in general were targeted for extermination. A case can be made, however, that this cat backlash may have contributed to the London's Great Plague of 1665-1666, spread by rats no longer under control of a healthy cat population.

While cats are no longer believed to be satanic messengers, black cats are now often associated with Halloween imagery, where they are shown perched on a pumpkin, back arched and tail fluffed in anger, or serenely riding behind a stereotypical witch on her broom.

Bast - The Original Lucky Cat

Cats were revered in Egypt, an ancient civilization dependent on its rodent-drawing grain supply, and the most revered cat in Egypt was the cat goddess Bast, or Bastet. Originally associated with protection of the pharoah, the lower kingdom and the sun Ra, she evolved over time to being associated with the moon, protection of the home and domestic pursuits.

Often pictured as a woman with a cat's head, she is also seen as a black cat, usually wearing Egyptian jewelry - a single earring and/or the heavy necklace of the period, featuring a scarab beetle, a rayed sun or other ensignia.

Everyone Has a Story

Every black cat I have ever known has been a one-person cat, preferring their human to every other and often not giving anyone else the time of day. They have also been partial to their dinner - I have seen photographs of skinny black cats, but never met one in real life. My experience isn't universal, of course, and I can't draw the conclusion that all black cats are, to be polite, rubenesque.

As wonderful as black cats undoubtedly are, however, if you are allergic to cats, you might want to consider getting a white one.

Cat Costume

There's nothing cuter than a toddler dressed up as a black cat, and it's easy to do. Black sweatshirt and pants and a pair of clip-on ears, with mittens for paws and a pinned-on tail are all it takes. A little bit of facepaint for nose and whiskers and voila - cuddly kitty.