Black cat

A black cat is a feline whose fur is uniformly all black, or almost all black. It is not a particular breed of cat and may be mixed or of a specific breed. The all-black pigmentation is equally prevalent in both male and female cats. In Western history, black cats have often been looked upon as a symbol of evil omens: in other cultures they are considered to be good omens. Black cats have been found to have lower odds of adoption in American shelters compared to other colors (except brown).^[1]

Historical associations

Witchcraft and superstition

Historically, black cats were symbolically associated with witchcraft and eviland they were also big fat s### heasd that no one liked. all catss do is poop .(every thing eles in this artilce is A LIE! In Hebrew and Babylonian folklore, cats are compared to serpents, coiled on a hearth.^{[citation needed]} The cat was worshiped in Egypt and to kill one was a crime punishable by death. When an Egyptian family's cat died, the cat was mummified and the family went into mourning. Romans, also, considered the cat sacred and introduced the animal into Europe. In most European countries, except Britain and Ireland, a black cat crossing one's path is considered bad luck; they were also seen by the church as associated with witches. Black cats (and sometimes, other animals of the same colour, or even white cats)^{[citation needed]} were sometimes suspected of being the familiars of witches. Black cats were believed to be shape shifters, that witches could transform into them by saying a spell and travel about doing evil things unnoticed. According to sources^[who?] witches took such good care of their cats for this reason and it was rumored^[vague] that they even fed them the blood of babies to stay youthful and agile. As the cat was a form of its witch owner, it was believed that harming a cat would directly harm the witch. Many^[who?] during the Middle Ages also believed that the devil regularly took the form of a black cat, and on holy days, such as Easter, black cats were routinely hunted down and burned. By the 17^th Century the cat began to be associated with witchcraft and became a symbol of bad luck.

The superstitions that surround the black cat are some of the most widely known and popular.^{[weasel words]} In Scotland, an unfamiliar black cat on the porch of a house is regarded as a sign of upcoming prosperity for its inhabitants.^{[citation needed]} In Ireland, a black cat crossing someone's path in the moonlight is taken by some as an omen of an epidemic illness.^{[citation needed]} In Italy hundreds of years ago, it was believed^[who?] that if a black cat lay on the bed of a sick person, that person would die.^{[citation needed]} Many years ago in England, fishermen's wives kept black cats in their homes while their husbands went away to sea in their fishing boats. They^[who?] believed that the black cats would prevent danger from occurring to their husbands while they were away.^{[citation needed]}

In places which saw few witch hunts, black cats retained their status as good luck, and are still considered as such in Britain and Ireland. They are also considered^[who?] to be good luck on ships.^[2]

However in Romanian and Indian culture, especially in the historical region of Moldavia in Romania and everywhere in India, one of the strongest superstitions still feared by many people^[who?] is that black cats crossing their path represents bad luck, despite the fact that these regions were never affected by witch hunts or anti-paganism.^{[citation needed]} An identical superstition survives also in Central Europe, such as the Czech Republic.^{[citation needed]} There are also still myths and superstitions in America about black cats, and especially their bones, which are believed to hold magical powers. There is an Internet black market for the sale of black cat bones to be used in various ways to bring luck and power to the bearer of the bone.^{[citation needed]}

It is possible^[vague] that black cats assumed an unlucky association in Western Europe, indirectly because of the Islamic story of Mohammad's black cat, Muezza. Anecdotally at least, given the stories crusaders may have^{[weasel words]} brought back to Western Europe from the Holy Land, Catholics may have^{[weasel words]} come to associate the black cat with what they'd believe to be the false prophet. Mohammad indeed had a high regard for cats in general, and this is reflected in modern Muslim attitudes to cats. The story goes that Muezza was Mohammad's favorite cat, and was black all over. He loved him so much, that when sleeping on his coat he cut around Muezza so as not to wake him.^{[citation needed]}

Anarcho-Syndicalism

File:Sabcat2.svg

Ralph Chaplin created the image of a black cat in a fighting stance, the IWW's symbol of sabotage.

Since the 1880s, the color black has been associated with anarchism. The black cat, in an alert, fighting stance was later adopted as an anarchist symbol.

More specifically, the black cat — often called the "sab cat" or "sabo-tabby"^[3] — is associated with anarcho-syndicalism, a branch of anarchism that focuses on workers' rights. See wildcat strike.

In testimony before the court in a 1918 trial of Industrial Workers of the World leaders, Ralph Chaplin, who is generally credited with creating the IWW's black cat symbol, stated that the black cat "was commonly used by the boys as representing the idea of sabotage. The idea being to frighten the employer by the mention of the name sabotage, or by putting a black cat somewhere around. You know if you saw a black cat go across your path you would think, if you were superstitious, you are going to have a little bad luck. The idea of sabotage is to use a little black cat on the boss."^[4]

Black cats in culture

Bohemian culture

Théophile Steinlen's advertisement for the tour of the Chat Noir cabaret

Le Chat Noir (French for "The Black Cat") was a 19th-century cabaret in the Montmartre district of Paris. It was opened on 18 November 1881 at 84 Boulevard Rouchechouart by the artist Rodolphe Salis, and closed in 1897.^{[citation needed]}

Internet culture

In the Lolcat internet meme, any image of a black cat is usually described as "Basement Cat", symbolic of Satan, to counteract any white cat being called "Ceiling Cat", which would be God.^{[citation needed]}

Literature

The Black Cat is an 1843 short story by American author Edgar Allan Poe.
In the 2002 children's novel Coraline by Neil Gaiman, one of the characters is a black cat who acts as a wise yet snide guide to the protagonist.

Comics

Black Cat is a manga series by Kentaro Yabuki.
Black Cat is a superheroine and occasional supervillainness featured in Marvel Comics.
Black Cat, a Harvey Comics character.
El Gato Negro (Spanish for "The Black Cat") is an independent American comic.

References

File:Behemot.JPG

The character Behemoth in "The Master and Margarita", an enormous black cat (said to be as large as a hog), capable of standing on two legs and talking, and has a penchant for chess, vodka and pistols.

*

^ "Prediction of adoption versus euthanasia among dogs and cats in a California animal shelter." Lepper, Kass, & Hart, JOURNAL OF APPLIED ANIMAL WELFARE SCIENCE, 2002
^ Superstitious town bans whistling
^ Industrial Workers of the World, An Alphabet Soup: The IWW Union Dictionary
^ Red November, Black November: Culture and Community in the Industrial Workers of the World, Salvatore Salerno, 1989, SUNY Press, page 178, from U.S. v. W.D. Haywood, et al, testimony of Ralph Chaplin, July 19, 1918, IWW Collection, Box 112, Folder 7, pp. 7702 & 7711, Labor History Archive, Wayne State University. once a cat was assasinated by yo momma

Micklewright, F. H. Amphlett, A Note on the Witch-Familiar in Seventeenth Century England, Folklore, Vol. 58, No. 2 (Jun, 1947) pp. 285-287
Wedeck, Harry E. A Treasury of Witchcraft: A Sourcebook of the Magic Arts. Avenel, New Jersey: Gramercy Books. 1961.