Superstitions can be negative or positive, depending on where and when you live. That’s especially true for black cats.
Black cats are also considered good luck here in Britain and Japan. In Britain it is commonly considered that a black cat crossing a person's path is a good omen and will bring good fortune. That is not the case within most European countries. Most consider 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 person's path from right to left, is a bad omen. But from left to right, the cat is granting favorable times.
Although the origins of black cat superstitions are difficult to trace, some historians think the reputation stems from mythology and the beginnings of religion. Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Celtic and Norse mythology all reference black cats in one way or another. While other myths date back to ancient times. When William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth 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. Anyone caught with a black cat would be severely punished or even killed. They viewed the black cat as part demon and part sorcery. These superstitions led people to kill black cats. There is no evidence here in the United Kingdom of regular large-scale massacres of satanic cats, or of burning them in mid-summer bonfires, as sometimes occurred elsewhere in Europe.
Research from Cats Protection has revealed, on average, it takes 13 per cent longer for black cats to find a new home compared to others. The most common reason given not only include superstition, but also the perception of black as boring compared to other colours as well as the belief that black cats do not photograph well. Within the United Kingdom black cats even have their own national awareness day. The 27 October has been designated Black cat Day to try and encourage people to adopt a black cat.
While the superstitions about black cats have existed for millennia and persist today. None of these myths are based in fact or science and are not deserved. The good news is that we now know owning a cat, regardless of fur colour can benefit human health. Cats help lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety and stress and decrease feelings of loneliness.
Those are facts worth perpetuating!