Thefolkloresurrounding black cats varies from culture to culture. TheScotsbelieve that a strange black cats arrival to the home signifies prosperity. InCeltic mythology, afairyknown as theCat Sthtakes the form of a black cat. Black cats are also considered good luck in the rest of Britain and Japan.[5]Furthermore, it is believed that a lady who owns a black cat will have many suitors.[6]In Western history, black cats have typically been looked upon as a symbol of evil omens, specifically being suspected of being thefamiliarsof witches, or actuallyshape-shiftingwitches themselves. Most of Europe considers the black cat a symbol of bad luck, particularly if one walks across the path in front of a person, which is believed to be an omen of misfortune and death. In Germany, some believe that black cats crossing a persons path from right to left, is a bad omen. But from left to right, the cat is granting favorable times.[7]In the United Kingdom it is commonly considered that a black cat crossing a persons path is a good omen.[8]
Perceptions of religious imagery in natural phenomena
Black Cats and Cats in General. Superstitionsonline.com. 2012-01-19.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-04-01.
In the United States, Black Cat Appreciation Day is August 17.[27]Research by theASPCAshows that black cats are the least likely to be adopted from shelters of any type of cat.[27]This can be partly because of the superstition behind black cats such as their association with witchcraft or bad luck, or because they appear dull next to more colorful cats. In 2014Toronto, Canadas largest city, held an event onBlack Fridayduring which people could adopt a black cat without paying the usual $75 adoption fee, in order to encourage the adoption of black cats.[28]This trend had now spread across the United States, with many shelters offering free adoption of black cats on Black Friday.
Lepper, Merry; Kass, Philip H.; Hart, Lynette A. (2002).Prediction of adoption versus euthanasia among dogs and cats in a California animal shelter
Google Books. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
With the success of the 2018 African-themedSuperhero film,Black Panther, there was a fad of adopting black domestic cats as pets and naming them after various characters of the film such asTChallaandShuri.[29]It has been observed that usually people were not going out of their way to follow this fad, but visited animal shelters to simply adopt a pet under normal circumstances and were inspired by theBlack Pantherto adopt a black cat when they see one. Regardless, to reduce the chance of such cats being abandoned when the fad fades, reputable animal shelter personnel took the usual precautions of having potential adopters fill out questionnaires to weed out potentially abusive guardians and have them read literature about the needs and responsibilities of such a pet to dissuade the less conscientious.[30]
The black cat in folklore has been able to change into human shape to act as a spy or courier for witches or demons. When thePilgrimsarrived atPlymouth Rock, they brought with them a devout faith in the Bible. They also brought a deepening suspicion of anything deemed of Satan and were a deeply suspicious group. They viewed the black cat as a companion, or a familiar to witches. Anyone caught with a black cat would be severely punished or even killed. They viewed the black cat as part demon and part sorcery.[9]These superstitions led people to kill black cats. There is no evidence from England of regular large-scale massacres of satanic cats, or of burning them inmidsummerbonfires, as sometimes occurred elsewhere in Europe.[10]
When theSpace Shuttleprogram naming system for missions was reworked to avoid an STS-13, some sourced this to superstition andApollo 13.[23]The crew for what would have been STS-13 (what turned out to beSTS-41C) made a humorous mission patch that included a black cat and a number 13.[23]The mission was successful and even landed onFriday the 13th.[23]The other main reason for the new numbering system was to better accommodate a much higher number of launches.[23]
In testimony before the court in a 1918 trial ofIndustrial Workers of the Worldleaders,Ralph Chaplin, who is generally credited with creating the IWWs black cat symbol, stated that the black cat was commonly used by the boys as representing the idea ofsabotage. 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.[21]
Mills, Jeremy (2011-08-15).Black Cat Appreciation Day is August 17. Lynchburg, Virginia:WSET.com. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-08-18
A symbol for sabotage (i.e. inefficiency at the point of production by disgruntled workers), usually represented by a black cat with bared teeth. Also called sab kitty, sabo-tabby, or the cat.
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
Syufy, Franny.Facts About Black CatsAbout.com. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-10-09
. School of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of California. Archived fromthe original
Since the 1880s, thehas been associated withanarchism. The black cat, in an alert, fighting stance was later adopted as ananarchist symbol.
Boks, Ed (2010-10-06).The truth about black cats and Halloween.
: black. One level tone from nose to tip of tail. Nose leather: black. Paw pads: black or brown.
ODay, Robin (2012-08-17).Black Cat Appreciation Day for animal shelters. Missoula, Montana:KPAX.com. Archived fromthe originalon 2014-08-17
Parkinson, Ann.Black Cats. Love To Know Cats. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-10-09
Why Is My Black Cat Rusting?. Paws and Effect. 2015-09-13
Some cultures are superstitious about black cats, ascribing either good or bad luck to them.
In the early days of television in the United States, many stations located onVHFchannel 13 used a black cat as a mascot in order to make sport of being located on an unlucky channel number.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In addition to theBombay, theCat Fanciers Associationallows solid black as a color option in 21 other breeds. The color description for those breeds is:
Any cat whose fur is a single color, including black, is known as a solid or self. A solid black cat may be coal black, grayish black, or brownish black. Most solid-colored cats result from a recessive gene that suppresses the tabby pattern. Sometimes the tabby pattern is not completely suppressed; faint markings may appear in certain lights, even on a solid black cat. A cat having black fur with white roots is known as a black smoke.[2]
Superstition Bash Black Cats. Amherst, New York:Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-10-09
Hooten, Christopher (2014-07-30).Black cats being rejected because they dont look good in selfies, says RSPCA.
. London.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-04-05
Declerq, Katherine (2014-11-22).Adoption fees being waived for black cats at shelters.
Ahsan, Sadaf (28 February 2018).Thanks to Black Panther, theres been a reported rise in black cat adoptions. The National Post
. Toronto, Ontario.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-04-10.
Black cats have been found to have lower odds of adoption in Americanshelterscompared to other colors except brown, although black animals in general take more time to find homes.[13]Some shelters also suspend or limit adoptions of black cats aroundHalloween[14]for fear they will be tortured, or used as living decorations for the holiday and then abandoned.[15][16][17]Despite this, no one has ever documented in the history of humane work any relationship between adopting black cats and cats being killed or injured. When such killings are reported, forensic evidence has pointed to natural predators, such ascoyoteseagles, orraptorsas the likely cause.[16]August 17 is Black Cat Appreciation Day.[18][19]
Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 2002;5(1):29-42
Almeida, Andres (5 December 2016).Behind the Space Shuttle Mission Numbering System.
Piratesof the 18th century believed that a black cat would bring different kinds of luck. If a black cat walks towards someone, that person will have bad luck. If a black cat walks away from someone then that person will have good luck.
October 27 has been designated Black Cat Day byCats Protectionin theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,[24]to celebrate the virtues of black cats and to encourage people to adopt an unwanted black cat.Cats Protections own figures suggest that black cats are more difficult for them to find a new home for than other colours.[24]In 2014, theRSPCAreported that 70% of the abandoned cats in its care were black,[25]suggesting a possible reason was that people considered black catsun-photogenic.[26]
Dont Shoot the Albatross!: Nautical Myths and Superstitions
Main article:Anarcho-syndicalist symbolism
Superstition, prejudice, bringer of good or bad luck
More specifically, the black catoften called the sab cat or sabo-tabby[20]is associated withanarcho-syndicalism, a branch of anarchism that focuses on labor organizing (seeWildcat strike).
Black cats can also rust in sunlight, the coat turning a lighter brownish shade.[2]Eumelanin, the pigment that is required to produce the black fur, is somewhat fragile, so the rusting effect can be more pronounced in cats that frequently spend time in the sun. A rarer condition that can also cause rusting is a deficiency of the enzyme tyrosine, which is required to produce eumelanin.[3]
Hackett, Stacy N. (2015-08-17).Black Cat Breeds and History. .Archivedfrom the original on 2015-09-06.
Cat Colors FAQ: Common Colors. Cat Fanciers Chat (fanciers.com). Archived fromthe originalon 2011-10-09
Miller, Mary Ann (2011).The Mystique Behind Black Cats. The Cat Site.com. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-09-27
Conversely in the United Kingdom if a black cat walks towards someone, it brings good fortune, but if it walks away, it takes the good luck with it.[8]If a black cat walks onto a ship and then walks off it, the ship is doomed to sink on its next trip.
Chorney, Saryn (27 February 2018).A Kitten Named Wakanda? Black Panther Is Inspiring Animal Lovers to Adopt Black Cats. People Magazine
Space Shuttle Challenger: Ten Journeys into the Unknown
In contrast, the supernatural powers ascribed to black cats were sometimes viewed positively; for example, sailors considering aships catwould want a black one because it would bring good luck.[11]Sometimes, fishermens wives would keep black cats at home too, in the hope that they would be able to use their influence to protect their husbands at sea (seeShips cat). The view of black cats being favorable creatures is attributed specifically to the Egyptian goddess Bast (orBastet), the cat goddess. Egyptian households believed they could gain favor from Bastet by hosting black cats in their household. This view was held in the early 17th century by the English monarchCharles I. Upon the death of his treasured pet black cat, he is said to have lamented that his luck was gone. True to his claim, he was arrested the very next day andcharged with high treason.[12]
. Albany, New York:SUNY Press. p.178.ISBN0-7914-0089-1.
: dense coal black. Free from any tinge of rust on tips or smoke undercoat. Nose leather: black. Paw pads: black or brown.
IWW Union Dictionary and Glossary. Chicago, Illinois:Industrial Workers of the World. 2005-05-01. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-10-09
Crump, Morgan (2011-10-25).Humane Society refuses black cat adoption during Halloween season. dailytoreador.com. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-11-05
For other uses, seeBlack cat (disambiguation).
Russian traditions and superstitions
. London:A & C BlackISBN978-1-4081-3131-2.
Mikkelson, Barbara; Mikkelson, David (2005-10-27).Cat oNine TalesSnopes.com. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-10-09
.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-10-31
Red November, Black November: Culture and Community in the Industrial Workers of the World
This page was last edited on 30 June 2018, at 04:31
Singer, Jo (2009).Black Cat Myths. PetSide.com. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-10-09
Arkell, Harriet (2014-07-29).Hundreds of black cats are being abandoned by their owners because they dont look good in selfies.
Black Cats The Good, The Bad, and The Misunderstood. Las Vegas, Nevada: The Animal Foundation. n.d.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-10-28
13Friday the 13thThe Thirteen ClubThirteenth floorTriskaidekaphobia)
Text is available under the; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to theTerms of UseandPrivacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of theWikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
National Black Cat Day 2015. Cats Protection. 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 2015-10-05
Animal Services will be hosting a cat adoption blitz in honour of Black Friday. The $75 adoption fee will be waived from four different animal shelters across the city, as well as at a number of partner locations. The only cost to adopt a black cat will be a $15 license fee.
Ablack catis adomestic catwith black fur that may be a mixed or specificbreed. TheCat Fanciers Association(CFA) recognizes 22 catbreedsthat can come with solid black coats.[1]TheBombaybreed is exclusively black. All-black fur pigmentation is slightly more prevalent in male cats than female cats. Their highmelaninpigment content causes most black cats to have yellow (golden) eyes (irises).
The black cat of the Industrial Workers of the World, also adopted as a symbol by anarcho-syndicalists
Ragamuffin Although black is not specifically mentioned, the standard allows for any color, with or without white, so technically speaking, an all-black Ragamuffin would be allowed under the breed standard.
. Prescott, Arizona. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-09-25
Black Cats… Do black cats mean good luck or bad luck for you?. Best-Cat-Art.com. 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-10-09
Rodriguez, Rachel (2014-10-31).To be a black cat on HalloweenCNNArchivedfrom the original on 2014-10-31.