Why are black cats associated with bad luck?

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Cats are animals that have experienced a tremendous boom in terms of entering homes as a pet, more and more people are decided by this cute feline that is slowly gaining our trust based on being an animal that needs little care and in return provide us with moments of great fun and even fascination.

However in the street the thing changes, especially with black cats, who suffer the historic stigma of being considered as a symbol or omen that comes with bad luck in case of crossing with him. It has been so long since the origin of this popular belief that in Animal Expert we are going to try to shed some light on the cause associated with this belief of why black cats are associated with bad luck and also for you to understand that it is only a myth.

Origins of the myth of bad luck caused by black cats

It is necessary to go back a lot to find the first town that began to add fuel to the fire to ignite the myth. In the Iberian Peninsula were the Celts the first ones that associated the cats of this color with the witches, because they affirmed that you were captivated by their brilliant and excellent for the night black fur as well as by the much that they emphasized their eyes on the other things.

It is also rooted in the French culture with roots in the Breton lands, which even counts the legend of the huge Chat Palug. This talks about a huge black cat who spent the nights terrorizing the cattle and the farmers every time he appeared, until King Arthur managed to chase and kill him.

Also in the Periodically in which the black plague It suffered a special boom, the black cat was blamed, indiscriminately chasing all the cats. What was proved was an error because the cats managed to reduce the population of the rats, true culprits of the transmission of this terminal disease.

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Witchcraft in the Middle Ages the worst period for black cats

Despite previous beliefs, it was not until the Middle Ages when black cats suffered the worst possible persecution. The witch hunt was the excuse, they were considered demonic beings which had to be avoided at all costs. The mere fact of having one near your house could mean that you were judged for witchcraft. And in the end, black cats were burned in rituals in order to ward off black magic from a certain area.

The high point of the nonsense of this belief took place in Salem, between the years 1692 and 1693, when the dangerousness of religious extremism came to the fore and officially judging women for supposed witchcraft. The fact is that any symbol historically associated with witchcraft, should be eradicated, enjoying black cats with such bad luck that his name had already been cursed many years ago.

There was even a widespread belief that the witches had the ability to transform into black cats to wander and look for their victims in the streets with complete freedom. Hence, seeing a black cat was almost like seeing a witch.

One of the stories that were told to justify the persecution of black cats, spoke of two young people who crossed the road with one of these felines, decided to follow him and apparently did not end in a good way. In order to punish him they started throwing stones and the cat took refuge in the house of an old woman who was accused of a witch. Appearing the next day the woman with scratches and bruises was the definitive proof that she had become a cat and therefore was a witch.

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Other cultures have treated him better

Of course not in all places and in all cultures it has been treated in the same way. For example, the Scots have always considered that having a black cat at home would bring good luck to the family.

Also for Japanese culture as we have seen in the story of the lucky cat or Maneki Neko they are considered as a shield against bad luck.

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The black cat in our days

Luckily the belief that the black cat brings bad luck is much less transmitted, many people enjoy the company of beautiful cats of this color at home.

However, we still have this scourge, still many people, thanks to ignorance and prejudice transmitted in the form of sayings or popular sayings, they still consider that seeing them is an omen of bad luck. The worst thing is not that it affects a certain part of society, each one with its madness, the bad thing is that it can negatively affect the welfare of these beautiful cats, something that is not tolerable in any case.

So if you have the opportunity and you want to welcome a stray cat, you will be sending a message of hope if its color is black. Why do not you change the luck of one of these felines by adopting it?

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