The truth behind black cat superstitions!

Everyone has heard that black cats are unlucky, evil, companions of witches, guardians of the underworld and more.  Never let a black cat cross your path!  but have you ever stopped to ask why? Where did the superstition start?  We’re glad you asked…..

The superstition started many years ago.  But, before we get there, lets go back even further.  To the ancient Egyptian times.  Did you know that the Egyptians revered cats and that killing a cat would bring about a death sentence?  Cats were believed to bring about good luck to those that owned them and cats were treated like royalty.  When the cats died, they were mummified and entombed with the remains of the family to continue bringing good luck and fortune.

But how do we get from cats being lucky to cats being evil?

In 1233 C.E, Pope Gregory IX made a papal decree that black cats were an incarnation of the devil himself! Christians all around Europe began to round up and burn black cats alive in the town square and at village festivals. But it wasn’t just black cats.  To be sure they scoured all traces of the devil from the lands, they burned all of the cats they could.  So many cats were burned alive that by the end of the 14th century, cats were nearly extinct in some parts of Europe.

Over time, black cats in particular began to be associated with witches.  It was even suggested that if a black cat were a witches familiar long enough, that cat would turn into a witch.  By the late 1600’s and the time of the Salem Witchcraft Trials, simply owning a black cat could be enough to get you accused of being a witch.

Today – The superstition that black cats are unlucky still exists.  But at least now you know why.