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If cultures of various regions are seen, it can be noticed that cats have supernatural power. Especially, it is a myth that black cats are most dangerous. A number of stories at different corners of the world explain the evil influences of cats. It is believed that black cats not only bring bad luck but also they are associated with various other unnecessary dark things.
A common question crops up that why cats and particularly black cats are said to have these characteristics and attributes? Let us look into the details and analyze the reasons behind this myth.  Cats, the nocturnal animals, more often than not can be seen strolling around the premise of every house. These suspicious animals sneak around, especially at night. House owners keep their foods safe from these doubtful evils. It is quite obvious that civilized society still fears the darkness of night and we are carrying forward this old tradition. The black color of cats can be associated and linked with the darkness of nights. Certainly, this doesn’t help to improve their image. The black color has always been allied with evil as well.
Long time back, Europeans predominantly were the firm believers of pagan religions. Witchcraft was a very popular belief. They were closely attached with nature and animals like cat. Gradually, Christian religion came into the picture. Church decided to Christianize everyone. According to their well made plans they marked witchcraft as evil and since then cats are attributes to witches. It is a fact that Christians always had an allegation that cats are directly linked with bad luck. There was also a myth by which people started to think cats as evil animals. King Charles I of England was arrested on the day his pet cat died. An old sailor’s legend had opined that if sailors meet an ambling cat in the shipyard then there is a possibility that that ship may meet an unpleasant storm on its voyage. According to the Babylonian folklore a cat on hearth is compared with an evil serpent. Many times it is noticed that a cat is playing with something which is invisible or even batting at nothing in air. At the same time they have an uncanny ability to see well in darkness. These created a fable that cats can see spirits or ghosts. During witch trial a lot of cats were tortured and even killed by Christian puritans. It was believed that evil witches can shape themselves up into cats. So, both the witches and cats should be treated severely. It was also seen that witches sacrifice cats during their rituals. This was surprising on their part because witchcraft was a nature friendly and loving religion. Many animal shelters didn’t allow anyone to adopt cats during Halloween for fear of their mistreatment and abuse. Even though European countries had treated cats badly but a lot of cultures gave cats the respect that they deserve. Ancient Egyptians respected cats a lot. It was not permitted to kill any cat as the Egyptians used to consider cats as kingly animals. Egyptians even thought of mummifying their cats when they died. They preserved their cats for afterlife. Bast was their deity who looked like a cat for its head. Mummified cats were dedicated to this fastidious deity. However, the ancient Egyptians were not the only people who respected cats and had treated them nicely. Maneki Neko (Bechoning cat) is considered as a symbol of good luck by the Japanese. Russian Blue breed of cat is also linked with good luck. It was believed that black cats exemplify the spirit of Rungis, the Harvest God of Latvia. According to the Latvian culture Black cats bring good luck for the farmers. |
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