where did the myth of a black cats being bad luck come from?

Answer 1

Cats were -and still are- regarded as magickal creatures throughout the ages. The Egyptians revered the cat as an aspect of the goddess, Bast, and they mummified cats with all the ritual, pomp and circumstance that befitted such regal animals. Cats are depicted as drawing the heavenly chariots of various gods and goddesses in other cultural myths as well.

Possibly because of their decidedly nocturnal habits, felines have become associated with the night, stealth and mystery. Who knows where the supposedly domesticated cat wanders in the night, what he/she is up to and why they seem to look so satisfied when they stroll back into the house in the morning? Quite frankly, they have steadfastly refused to answer any questions posed to them on the subject. This code of silence has caused the cat some historical hard knocks.

During the Inquisitions or "Burning Times' of the witchcraft trials and persecutions, cats were often tortured and killed along with the accused "witches." It was thought that witches could change into (shape-shift) cats or that cats could be possessed by evil spirits. The howl of a cat on the prowl has undoubtedly frightened more than one nocturnal traveler on a darkened footpath and the fact that cats seem to delight in sneaking up on folks hasn't helped their public relations image one bit either.

The most prevalent fallacy connecting Witches, cats and Halloween is, of course, the 'animal sacrifice' myth-namely that it is the Witches that use cats for sacrifices or other abusive rituals. The truth lies in the opposite direction.

It was the superstitious clerics and witch-hunters of the past-and present-that would toss a cat into the same fire as the Witch. It was the very real working and affectionate bond between cat and Witch that drew the suspicions of those who sought 'devils' everywhere and so could find them anywhere. Sad to say, that superstitious and paranoid mindset has survived in some religious faiths right up to the dawn of the twenty-first century.

Are there people out there who really do abuse cats and other animals? Yes, there are, but they are not Witches or Wiccans. The 'mysterious cults' that are mentioned (but are never really identified) in news articles about Halloween cat-related horrors are actually following in the footsteps of Christian clerics rather than pagan practitioners if they are using or abusing the innocent cat in some sort of bizarre sacrificial ritual setting. Cat burnings were a regular past time in France until the pre-modern times. (See: Workers Revolt: The Great Cat Massacre Of The Rue Saint-Severin)

The larger professionally run animal shelters know that indeed it is not the Wiccans/Witches who are doing the abusing. Thanks to all of the concerned pagans who have written the shelters, the newspapers and town officials during 'scaredy cat' seasons past, we have gotten that point across rather well.

It is instead the "thrill seeker," the wanna-be 'satanist'- ala-Hollywood -movie- scripts or the emotionally disturbed individual who perpetuates such crimes against animaldom. We join with the animal protection agents in the hope that the people who abuse cats and other animals will be caught and then prosecuted for their heinous and cruel acts.

So even if a few misinformed (or misquoted) individuals still mention Witches and the pagan celebrations that take place in October in the list of reasons behind the black cat adoption ban, as animal lovers, we should support this action to protect the animals, rather than throw a hissy fit because such crimes are associated with "Halloween." We will however continue to write those letters and set the record straight on the Witch-Cat relationship.

Witches For The Protection of Animals:

Every year, Witches are looking for public service projects to become involved in. What better way to show these agencies and the general public that Witches do not perform animal sacrifices than to work to save these animals?

The shelters incur extra costs to keep animals that normally would be released during the month of October. Why not help them out?

If you have a local group or coven, consider a fundraising event for your local animal shelter. Collect pet supplies and donate them at the beginning/end of October. If you are "out of the broom closet", take a photo of the donation center staff with your group and send it with a press release to your local paper.

National Pagan organizations may want to consider a run of special T-shirts with the "Cats of Witchcraft" printed on the front and an appropriate "Donate To Your Local Animal Shelter" on the back. (A portion of sales could go to a local shelter as well.) We have wonderful "no-kill" shelters in this area-and maybe you do, too!- that certainly could use the extra help.

Witches love their cat companions. By donating to animal shelters, we can help insure that felines and other animals will have the chance to find a good home where they will be loved and well cared for.

And what better way to celebrate Samhain than to help give a homeless animal the gift of a "happy new year



So I guess its because they were associated with witches in the middel ages.

Answer 2

I do not know whether this story is true, but it said that in ancient Egypt cats were considered sacred (probably because they protected the grain from mice), and anyone who killed a cat, even accidentally, would be given capital punishment. Now, logically, black cats were the hardest to see, and thus the most run over by chariots, which was most unfortunate for the charioteer. The myth that a black cat running across your path was unlucky probably began during this time.

Answer 3

Cats have always had a special place in human hearts (&heads). With the egyptians, they were adored as holy pest-killers (their mistress, Bast, was the luxurious goddess of the palace but also, as Sekhmet the Lioness, the wrath of heaven). The predatory nature of the cat means that depending on where it is, that characteristic is embraced or rejected. In the Middle Ages, the pagan intimacy with killing and death was replaced by a (nominal) Christian doctrine of life and love. The cat had no place in that sort of new world and a last trickle of this remains with black cat superstitions.

Answer 4

they were once associated with witches during the witch trials and probably even long before that. People also once believed that witches could turn into cats so they were suspicious of them. But i also heard that in england, white cats are bad luck and black cats are good luck.

Answer 5

I don't believe black cat are bad luck. I love black cats.

Answer 6

I believe it from the middle ages. People were very afraid of witches. Witches were thought to keep black cats as 'familiars'. The cats were thought to be demons or even Satan himself in animal form.

Answer 7

I would guess because they were harder to see at night and people would get freaked out when one ran out in front of them. If not I just made another myth. Black was also associated with evil spirits and death.

Answer 8

Most likely from when the Church declared Witches and their familiars(black cats) to be SATAN worshipers.
Hows this for hypocrisy any thing black is evil. except for the Priests in their black robes and hassocks.

Answer 9

there good luck.
black cat crossing your path is good luck.
but it came from witchcraft.

Answer 10

hard to see in the dark and if one crosses your path you might trip over it and fall, break your nose, bad luck indeed