At Halloween the images of black cats are everywhere. Have you ever stopped to wonder how the black cat became associated with the holiday? Keep reading to learn everything you ever needed to know about black cats and Halloween.
THE HISTORY OF BLACK CATS AND HALLOWEEN.
There’s a legend about an ancient Greek goddess, named Hera, who transformed one of her servants, Galinthias, into a black cat to punish him. This story evolved in the European Dark Ages, which is when the modern superstitions around black cats began to take shape. Black cats were associated with witches, as well as another ominous animal, the crow.
In Medieval France and Spain, black cats were considered bringers of bad luck and curses to any human they came near, and were associated with witchcraft. Many Medieval Germans believed themselves to be cursed if a black cat crossed their path from left to right.
Black cats, however, have also served as symbols of good luck in numerous cultures. In the British Islands, black cats are often believed to bring affluence to any house they occupied. In Japan, they are also considered to bring good luck. In Ancient Egypt, black cats were worshipped as sacred.
Today, black cats are sometimes superstitiously considered conduits for the dark spirits that have escaped from their hot underworld corridors.
BLACK CATS, WITCHES AND WITCHCRAFT.
How did black cats come to represent bad luck and spookiness in the United States?
It all started with the Pilgrims in the Plymouth colony.
This particular group of people lived by a strict Protestant lifestyle, shunning anything that went against their religious beliefs. Since witchcraft was viewed as a practice that worshiped the devil, the Puritans became extremely wary of everything that could possibly be linked to a witch.
Black cats were high up on that list. Legend had it that witches could transform into a black cat and back, emphasizing superstitions of these furry creatures. Some people even believed that witches could re-incarnate into black cats after death. Additionally, there was the Middle Age legend that the devil often gifted black cats to witches to act as their servants. Historically, this creature was known as an “animal familiar.”
The naturally standoffish, stealthy attitude of cats probably didn’t help these felines, either. Paired with their dark fur coats and glowing eyes, black cats were feared as much as the human witches themselves. And as literature about witchcraft became more widespread, a period of “witchcraft hysteria” reigned between 1560 and 1660 in Europe and the New England colonies.
Seen as a pest roaming around the streets of ancient Europe, the meaning of their presence underwent a dark transformation. Some believed that witches would curse those who treated their black cats poorly, while others believed black cats were a manifestation of the witches themselves.
After the anti-witch zeal had subsided in the colonies, black cats had been thoroughly cemented in popular legend right alongside witches.
BLACK CATS AND WICCA.
The association of black cats and the Wicca practice is believed to have stemmed from the Christian perception of Wicca, and not Wicca itself. Black cats were rumored to be tied to witchcraft in the Middle Ages. This led to the perceived sinister connection between black cats and Wiccans.
Both Halloween and black cats are associated with witches.
Witches were the pre-Christian pagan practitioners of Europe. They were in direct competition for the hearts and minds of the people, so while the early Christian church in Europe coexisted with the witches, as the church gained power, they began persecuting, hunting, torturing, and killing them in vast numbers.
Witches honored the natural world, having a deep respect for plants and animals. Affection between human and animal, therefore, began to seem diabolical or devilish, and the old lady with her cats became seen as suspect. Cats, like the women accused of witchcraft, tended to exhibit a healthy disrespect for authority. In the church, neither independent women nor independent animals were tolerated.
BLACK CATS AND SUPERSTITION.
Black cats have long served as objects of superstition.
In the mid-1300s, during the Black Plague, black cats picked up another superstition that did nothing for their reputation. It was believed that black cats were directly associated with causing and spreading the disease, which resulted in them becoming feared and disliked. Ironically, cats were the unsung heroes of the plague. They helped curb the rat population that carried the fleas that caused and spread the plague, which wound up killing somewhere between 75 and 200 million people. It was centuries before these cats were given their due.
During times of the plague, the church blamed witches and their familiars, usually cats, for the spread of the disease. Later, Halloween was originally one of the most sacred holy days of the European people. It was a holiday that honored the ancestors and the beloved dead. It was very much the same as the Hispanic Dia del Los Muertos. Our current culture is death-phobic, so a holiday honoring the dead is frightening. Our unhealthy relationship with all the murdered witches may have something to do with the fears that have since surfaced around witches and their "familiars.”
The fear directed at black cats is because patriarchal religion tends to be dualistic — with all qualities divided into good or bad. If light is good, darkness is bad. If white represents good, black represents evil. This is the underpinning of racism, and it is also what fuels superstition about black cats being evil.
Many believe it was also the church that helped perpetuate the fear of black cats. In the superstitious Middle Ages and Renaissance, a black cat crossing your path might indicate that a witch had sent her familiar to do you harm. After encountering a black cat, many fearful peasants of the day would hurry to the nearest church and pay for a priest to bless them and rid them of any curse that might have been laid by the cat. As this was a tremendous source of income for the church, such fears were encouraged by the church leaders.
These days, many black cat superstitions still exist. They are often linked to bad luck and are feared by some. Just take a look at television shows, movies, and books; it's not uncommon to see a black cat portrayed in a spooky and tense environment.
HOW DID BLACK CATS BECOME A SYMBOL OF HALLOWEEN?
So how does this all relate to Halloween you ask?
The basis of this modern holiday revolves around all things dark and spiritual. Many of the celebrations that take place during this time of the year focus on honoring the dead. Ancient traditions usually have some kind of link to either the practice of witchcraft or the opposing beliefs against them.
As a result, witches – and their black cats – have become a commercialized symbol of Halloween. And with the recent surge in self-proclaimed proud cat ladies, it’s no surprise that they also double as one of today’s most popular costumes.
Decorators use them as a Halloween symbol, both alongside witches and independently, to add a frightful, unnerving ambience to their front steps, their green eyes spooking trick-or-treaters.
ABUSE AND MISTREATMENT OF BLACK CATS THEN AND NOW.
The Puritan Pilgrims distrusted anything associated with witches and sorcery, including black cats. They actively persecuted black cats – it became a practice to burn black cats on Shrove Tuesday to protect the home from fire.
Abuse of black cats – While the abuse and torture of black cats is not as rampant as the media would have us believe, stories of the sacrifice and other mutilation of these cats around Halloween abound. This probably doesn’t occur with any great frequency, but nevertheless it is probably smart to keep black pets close to home. Perhaps a more real concern is the adoption and then neglect of black cats intended for use as Halloween props and costume accessories. That’s why some shelters won’t adopt black cats in the weeks before Halloween.
DISPELLING THE MYTHS: THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT BLACK CATS.
Despite their ties with Halloween, black cats are no more mysterious or scary than any other cat. Black cats are in no way a vector of bad luck, evil, or anything in between. Black cats are as lovable as any other cat, and they deserve to finally be separated from any negative stigma surrounding them. There is no proof that black cats have any different behavioral traits than any other cats.
Keep this in mind when you go to adopt a new family member and don’t forget to consider the black cats at the shelter on your next visit.
The bad buzz around black cats even affects their chances of adoption. Every year around Halloween, some animal shelters take extra precautions around allowing black cats to be adopted, out of fear they’ll be harmed. “Rescue workers have continued to state that there is no actual evidence or previous studies to support an increase of abuse to black cats around Halloween. This is just a myth that continues to circulate each year, and it negatively impacts the black cat adoption rate year-round.
However, some shelters will not adopt-out a black cat immediately before Halloween.
Some shelters still hold on to the myth that black cats are at risk of being adopted during October to become potential victims of ritualistic abuse or sacrifice.
In addition to the fear of animals being put in danger, organizations often keep potential adopters away to avoid the risk of someone adopting a black cat to be used as a prop in conjunction with their Halloween costume.
Some owners have been known to use them as “living decorations” before abandoning them or returning the cat to the shelter when the holiday is over.
Nevertheless, as long as suspicions and superstitions shadow black cats, some animal shelters hold on to black cats during the month of October to keep them safe during the Halloween season.
Today, some shelters promote black cats, or black-and-orange cats, during October. Throughout the year, black cats have a more challenging time being adopted through a shelter. As a result, black cats experience higher euthanasia and lower adoption rates than other cat colors due to the stories and superstitious beliefs that surround them.
Consider adopting a black cat from an animal shelter or rescue service. Due to latent superstition, studies have shown that black cats are much less likely to be adopted compared with other fur colors. By adopting a black cat, you may rescue an animal who may otherwise not have found a loving owner.
BLACK CATS ARE VERY GOOD FOR YOU!
It’s not all bad news for black cats. Some modern-day cultures believe only positive things about cats with dark fur. For example, cultures in Japan, China, Egypt, Ireland, and parts of Europe consider black cats to be symbols of luck and good fortune.
From a scientific standpoint, the primary difference between a black cat and any other cat is their higher level of melatonin pigment. Melanism gives the cat’s fur its dark-black color, which is often combined with gold-colored irises in the cat’s eyes for a striking, maybe slightly otherworldly appearance. Aside from peoples’ false beliefs based on propaganda and fear-mongering, and the commercialism of modern-day Halloween (which uses images of black cats to set a spooky mood), black cats are no different from cats of any other color, and there’s absolutely nothing to fear from them during Halloween or any time of year.
So if you happen to see a black cat cross your path on Halloween night, you can rest assured that it’s merely a coincidence, and there’s absolutely nothing to be superstitious about.
GHOULISH GOODIES LOVES ALL ANIMALS, ESPECIALLY BLACK CATS.
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