A SHORT HISTORY OF BLACK CATS FOR BLACK (cat) FRIDAY

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28 Nov

Written By Nita

By Esther Bonnigal-Katz

READ TO THE END FOR BLACK FRIDAY DEAL…

In honour of Black Friday, our lovely sitter Esther has had a look into the history of Black Cats and why they have such a bad rep. Highlighting the most misunderstood of all cats, for Black (Cat) Friday this is what she’s found:

Often associated with bad luck, Cats Protection provides us with the startling statistic that black cats take 13% longer to rehome than their more colourful counterparts (as of 2018)

beautiful long haired black cat, lounging on their cat tree, looking at camera and very relaxed — Could this bias still linger from old myths around these beautiful creatures?
Could it be due to the Celtic mythology of Cat Sith (Cait Sidhe)? This fairy creature is said to steal souls from bodies awaiting burial and curse families who don't leave milk out on Samhain (the festival that inspired Halloween). In some places, its even believed Cat Sìth is a witch who can turn into a cat nine times but is stuck in cat form forever after the ninth!
Or perhaps because through the Middle Ages, as Paganism was suppressed throughout Europe, superstitions and propaganda became rampant. Some paganists (which meant any non-Abrahamic religion at the time) worshipped nature and held cats in high regard. Rumours spread about this companionship being satanic though after Pope Gregory IX sent a decretal claiming that black cats were used in Luciferic rituals!

short hair black cat with striking green eyes, outdoors looking curiously at camera — Now in caparison however, black cats were recognised as divine creatures in other cultures… For example Bastet, the ancient Egyptian goddess of the sun, protection and fertility, was depicted as a woman with the head of a black cat.
It’s also well documented that cats at this time were also essential for catching vermin on ships and farms and were beloved as they were seen as protectors of the pharaohs.
Bringing black cat myths and legends up to date; To this day in Japan and the UK, a black cat crossing your path brings GOOD LUCK, while in America and some other parts of the world they believe the opposite?!
There are so many beliefs still surrounding our tiny house panthers, but for me the saddest reason I’ve heard black cats being neglected or last to be adopted from shelters is they are hard to photograph, “the voids” as they are often referred to, don’t look good enough for Instagram. Well we say RUBBISH – we’ve got lots of gorgeous black cat clients and often share their fab pics on Insta! Take a look for yourself **@LOVECATSCROYDON**

Still don’t believe me, you can check this info from Cats Protection for tips on how to take the best pics of black cats too: https://www.cats.org.uk/cats-blog/secrets-to-taking-photos-of-black-cats