"In ancient England, a black cat in the home was considered a form of protection for fishermen while they were at sea."
I figured I would write something for Halloween so I perused my "Old Wives' Tales" book and found an entry about black cats...only this time they supposedly bring "good" luck. I have had many black cats in the past and I loved them dearly. Today, however, I have one particular kitty who is a bit naughty and is always trying to get into mischief. The look on his face say's it all. Run for it...it's El Tigre' !
Okay...on with the story...
A black cat means different things to people in different parts of the world. The United Kingdom and Japan consider the black cat to bring of good fortune, while the United States and Italy believe the opposite to be true and would rather avoid them altogether.
The black cat's bad rap originates from the 16th and17th century idea that they associated with witches...in which case thousands were executed along with their owners.
The color black by itself is controversial. In the US, we think of movie villains wearing black and the good guy wearing white. In other countries, it symbolizes fertility and protection, and is supposed to ensure a happy marriage....which is why some newly weds are given a black cat as a wedding present.
Because cat's bodies react to many hereditary diseases the same way as human bodies do, they are popular subjects in medical laboratories. Although I am not fond of the idea of purposely harming another living creature, finding a cure for a sick child somehow makes it less of an abomination. I suppose you could call it the lesser of two evils. In this case it boils down to good luck for humans and bad luck for the kitties.
These are only a few of the superstitions about cat's out there, black or otherwise. My opinion? I think that people are going to beleive what they want to believe even though there is no real evidence to support a belief either way.
If you would like to share your opinion on the subject, I would love to hear from you. Send me a comment.
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