Black Cat Facts and Myths
To celebrate National Black Cat Day we are sharing, in our very first Blog post, some facts and fictions about these fabulous felines!
Did you know that there are 22 recognised black cat breeds though only one, the Bombay breed, is exclusively black? And did you also know that black is the most dominant coat colour in cats, which is why we see so many black cats come into our care?
Black cats have long been subject to folklore and superstition, some of it good, some not so good! In Ancient Egypt cats were worshipped; Bastet, the Egyptian Goddess, was depicted as a black cat and cats were considered so sacred that to kill one, even accidentally, was punishable by death.
By the 17th Century though, in many countries and cultures, cats were associated with witchcraft and black cats in particular have long since been depicted as "witch's cats". To this day, some countries consider them unlucky omens but here in England, a black cat crossing your path is thought to bring good luck and in Scotland, a strange black cat arriving at your home is seen a symbol of impending prosperity!
Black cats were also considered by sailors to have miraculous powers that could protect ships from storms. It became common practice for fisherman's wives to keep black cats at home too as a means of ensuring their husbands' safe return from sea.
Sadly, black cats have more recently have gained the reputation as being the hardest to rehome. Many people believe that this is because, in modern, selfie-obsessed times, people overlook black cats as they're harder to photograph!
Yet black cats, like cats of all other colours, are unique individuals with their own quirks and characters and we urge potential adopters to see beyond coat colour as this has absolutely no bearing upon how much love a cat has to give!
To read about all of the cats in our care, visit http://www.rspca-worcester.org/animals-for-adoption/cats
Did you know that there are 22 recognised black cat breeds though only one, the Bombay breed, is exclusively black? And did you also know that black is the most dominant coat colour in cats, which is why we see so many black cats come into our care?
Black cats have long been subject to folklore and superstition, some of it good, some not so good! In Ancient Egypt cats were worshipped; Bastet, the Egyptian Goddess, was depicted as a black cat and cats were considered so sacred that to kill one, even accidentally, was punishable by death.
By the 17th Century though, in many countries and cultures, cats were associated with witchcraft and black cats in particular have long since been depicted as "witch's cats". To this day, some countries consider them unlucky omens but here in England, a black cat crossing your path is thought to bring good luck and in Scotland, a strange black cat arriving at your home is seen a symbol of impending prosperity!
Black cats were also considered by sailors to have miraculous powers that could protect ships from storms. It became common practice for fisherman's wives to keep black cats at home too as a means of ensuring their husbands' safe return from sea.
Sadly, black cats have more recently have gained the reputation as being the hardest to rehome. Many people believe that this is because, in modern, selfie-obsessed times, people overlook black cats as they're harder to photograph!
Yet black cats, like cats of all other colours, are unique individuals with their own quirks and characters and we urge potential adopters to see beyond coat colour as this has absolutely no bearing upon how much love a cat has to give!
To read about all of the cats in our care, visit http://www.rspca-worcester.org/animals-for-adoption/cats