Black Cats (folklore)

A black cat refers to a feline with black fur. A black cat is believed to be a bad omen by many people to the point that at the time, killing a black cat that crossed your path was considered an honorable deed. The following is known beliefs regarding this "demonic" cat species.

Superstitious Beliefs
Many beliefs about black cats vary from country to country. For example, in Great Britain, spotting a black cat crossing your path was considered a sign of good luck. These cats were also distributed to European brides in the form of a gift as well. In Japanese culture, a black cat was considered a good luck charm to the point that it was believed that if a woman had one in her house, then that woman would acquire many suitors.

However, in the Western countries, a black cat was looked down upon as a bad omen. It is commonly believed that black cats were supernatural creatures that served as the familiars of local witches, and that misfortune would fall upon a person if they had ever crossed paths with one. This belief in what the black cats represented led to the mass killings of these felines during the Middle Ages. However, unbeknownst to them at the time, these cats actually served as a means of keeping the rat population down, and when they killed these cats off,  the Bubonic Plague managed to spread throughout Europe because of the lack of predators around to eat their hosts, and it soon led to the deaths of millions of people throughout Europe. Many Westerners also believed that these felines were demonic entities that were used in satanic rituals.