Why do we asociate BLACK CATS with WITCHES?

Question

Well, I myself keep a black cat outside my apartment.
Still, I fail to see the real reason why we relate black cat and superstition...

Anybody can explain this, please?

Answer 1

Black cats are symbolic, intelligent, easy to tame and, amongst other animals, were considered to be able to, when properly trained, detect Entities, or 'Spirits' and warn of actions beyond the realm of the material to those who needed to be wary. Eliphas Levi wrote:"There are certain animals which have the power of breaking the currents of Astral Light by absorption peculiar to themselves. They are violently apathetic to us and possess a certain sorcery of the eye: the toad, the basilisk and the tard are instances. These animals, when tamed and carried alive on the person, or kept in one's rooms, are a guarantee against the hallucinations and trickeries of Astral Intoxication... a term which explains all phenomena of unbridled passions, mental exaltations and folly."

Answer 2

It dates to the middle ages, when people started fearing "witches" (medicine women that weren't Christian) and fearing the Plague (created a lot om myths around the plague, they actually thought that Dogs are responsible, cats, bad smell, the devil (of course), and also increased natural human fear of the dark, for example Crows populated battlefields (eating on carcases) and were a powerful symbol in the Norse and Wicca beliefs thus EVIL! Wolves were day hunters, but people hunted them until they become night hunters (yes, thanks to us) and then they became MORE EVIL (children of the night..and all that stuff), CATS are the same thing witchdoctors, Wicca witches..etc kept them around as company and to catch mice, a herbal place is not the place you want mice, so the cat became EVIL and if it's black MORE EVIL. You already knew it's silly superstition but the REAL beginning of superstitions (I mean really stupid things) started with THE PLAGUE and with miss interpretations from the bible.

Answer 3

in the past people were really superstitious, they say witches used black magic, the word black in the dictionary means wicked, evil, supernatural mainly the devil, gloomy so to be a black cat they thought the cats were evil also.To wear all black, or be black in those times was bad luck and evil.(its just some thing carried from the past of Puritan times)

Answer 4

the black cats were asst to the devil in medieval times and so the black cat came into the part if you had a black cat it was your familar and that you were consort with the devil.
their were some bad and good witches but at the time they couldnt tell just blame some one for when some thing went wrong.

Answer 5

I fould the following on Wikipedia:

Historically, black cats were symbolically associated with witchcraft and evil. In Hebrew and Babylonian folklore, cats are compared to serpents, coiled on a hearth. Originally in Britain and Europe, a black cat crossing ones path was considered good luck; however they were also seen by the church as associated with witches. This association with witches possibly stems from pre-Christian Europe when witches weren't considered evil. In fact it was the church, who considered them unholy and pagan, who altered their reputation. The black cat was still usually seen as good luck, however in the USA and parts of Europe which were affected by the witch hunts the association with witches caused them to be considered as bad luck. In places which weren't affected particularly witch hunts, they retained their status as good luck, and are still considered as such in Japan and most of Britain.

Answer 6

Im not sure really but i think its kinda sad that the poor cat is getting such a bad wrap. poor kitty

Answer 7

It was an old warning sign of someone being a witch.

Answer 8

According to Webster, propaganda and brainwashing everything white denotes good and black denotes bad.

Answer 9

because cats are evil creatures, and well.....being black doesn't help

Answer 10

because thats what we call SUPERSTITION...
it isnt true if you, yet we tend to preach and believe it because of somebody elses experience but actually it isnt true

the eyes chooses what she sees..