Perception: Reality:
It’s Halloween again, and all black
cats are either Salem, a familiar, that kid from Hocus Pocus whose sister was taken by
the Sanderson sisters, or a harbinger of unfortunate mishaps and even sudden
death.
Why did this myth take flight and
why does it persist with all the strength of a Nimbus 2000 on the Quidditch
field?
The answer is several-fold.
The American answer is that in ye
olden days of Puritan New England, a couple of Goodmen (the women were
addressed as Goody; if that doesn’t tickle you, I don’t know what will) spotted
a cat close to the dwelling of a purported witch and thought it was odd that
when they struck the cat with rocks, the woman also developed a limp. Naturally,
it was assumed that they must be the very same creature.
The international answer is that Black
cats have often been identified as familiars, or even a witch in animal form. This
obnoxious stereotype is attributed to the pesky European fear of black magic in
the Dark Ages. Europe in general very much frowned upon nighttime and the
forest, because the likelihood of the devil’s influence surged under both
circumstances. Due to the dark color of their coats, black cats were also
unfortunately lumped into this category. This misconception has resulted
in uncountable gruesome and needless deaths of black cats in North America and
in Europe.
Wikipedia suggests that black cats
are historically unfavorable because the color of their coat is not as engaging
to humans. That, and apparently, black cats don’t photograph well. But the joke
is on Wikipedia, because after the release of Black Panther,
shelters nationwide reported a spike in black cat adoptions. Most of them have
been named T’Challa, though personally, I would have gone for Shuri the Science
Queen.
Not all the world seems to have it
in for the black cat; the ancient Egyptians worshiped all cats, regardless of
color, as one of their revered goddesses, Bastet, was a cat. In the UK,
superstition persists about black cats, but only directionally; walking towards
the human for pets means a blessing on your head, walking away with no pets
means that you have decidedly bad luck.
That’s true of any missed
opportunities for pets.
While most citizens have come to
realize that black cats are in fact cats without any influence on the universe
and its machinations whatsoever, there are a few words of caution around the
worldwide web cautioning people to keep a close eye on their black feline
friends around Halloween. We would all like to believe that no one would be so
cruel as to harm a defenseless animal due to uneducated assumptions about the
occult and general superstition, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Some shelters have historically limited black cat adoptions during the
Halloween season as a precaution, and it's been encouraged to keep all cats,
regardless of their color, inside on Halloween night.
And should any harm befall a black cat this Halloween, the ghost of Thackery Binks will absolutely resurrect the Sanders sisters to wreck vengeance upon them.
To make up for all the bad press,
black cats have made an imprint on our hearts in the media in classics such as
Hocus Pocus, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Looney Toons, Black Panther (WAKANDA
FOREVER), and, of course, Henri the cat (if you don’t know him, YouTube him,
you will be forever changed). So, we here at Puget Paws will be doing our part
to show all our black cats some extra love and attention this Halloween season,
as we’re sure you will too.
Meanwhile, there are some white
rabbits lurking in the bushes in the wee hours of the morning, and I’m
unconvinced they are not the spawn of Bunnicula…Lizzie Kittel
Social Media Manager, Pet Care Provider
Puget Paws LLC
Private Dog Walking and Pet Sitting
“Walking Around the Sound”
