Why are black cats considered bad luck

posted by Stacie on October 4, 2013 // 12 Comments »

Why are black cats considered bad luck?

Why are black cats considered bad luck? Have you ever asked yourself this question? Do you find yourself staring too long when you see a black cat? Or maybe calculating if you will cross paths? Oh, that's just me? You probably just want to know why some consider these gorgeous felines bad luck, right? Read on. We hope that you find this Why are black cats considered bad luck post valuable.

Why are black cats considered bad luck?

Looking all the way back to 3,000 BC, cats were worshiped by the Egyptians. It was a capital crime to kill a cat during this era. Fast forward to the Middle Ages and black cats started to become associated with witches. In Europe, black magic and black cats were considered to be peas in a pod. If you saw one then you would likely see the other. Right or wrong, cats were associated with evil deeds. This was partly because the women who often gave special attention to cats were seen as witches. Even today some people consider old ladies with lots of cats a bit spooky.

Black Cats and Witches

Cats are extremely active at night and this was a bit alarming to those living in the middle ages. This meant that cats were possibly out and about doing the supernatural work of the witches. Some people believed that the cats were witches taking on the form of a cat to avoid detection. While most people today see black cats as just that, there are still groups of people who see them as evil. There have even been times when people chose to sacrifice black cats in an attempt to strengthen their own perceived black magic.

Did a black cat just walk in front of you?

This is a common superstition that says black cats are bad luck. If a black cat walks in your pathway, you will have any number of bad things happen to you. There is debate about how long this bad luck will last. Some believe that this simply keeps you out of heaven. Some believe if you get a cat to cross again in the opposite direction you can reverse the curse. Otherwise, you will have a year of bad luck at a minimum. It depends on where you are as to what might “happen” to you. This superstition appears to have originated in India and places like Romania in Eastern Europe.

Other Black Cat Superstitions

There are a few other superstitions associated with black cats. If any of the following things occur, it is said that you will have a period of bad luck afterward. These include:

Coming across a black cat during the early hours of the morning
Chasing away a black cat.
A black cat turning around and facing its back toward you
Following a black cat under a ladder

Each of these things is said to bring horrible events upon the person and can even cause them to suffer for a lifetime. Given that I and many others have a black cat, I certainly hope not. Then again, maybe that is why my car keeps breaking down. We hope that you are inspired by this Halloween Superstition Why Black Cats Are Considered Bad Luck post. Happy Halloween!