Originally black cats were considered good luck. Only when the Christian pilgrims came along with their ideas about witches, sorcery and evil did attitudes switch and black cats became associated with bad luck. Some countries hold the good luck view and others hold the bad.

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In Western Society, black cat myths are often associated with bad luck. One of the more popular myths is the one in which the black cat crosses one’s path. This portends very bad luck for that person who encountered the feline.

In the Yorkshires, a black cat was said to bring the fishermen home safely from the seas. During the most prominent part of the fishing industry in this village, black kittens were often catnapped and sold to the highest bidder (usually the wives of the fishermen) by racketeers trying to cash in on the popular superstition.

Other curious events and folklore tales are plentiful in history, which propagate myths about bad luck and black cats. King Charles I of England owned a black cat. The day the cat died, the story goes that he proclaimed, “Alas, my luck has run out. e was arrested for high treason.

Fortunately, many more stories point to the connection between good fortune and black cats. The ancient Egyptians venerated black cats and treated them as royalty.

One of the French myths is that if one has a black cat with even one white hair, Lady Luck will smile upon the owner. In most other cultures, the black cat is considered to be a symbol of fortune – a prized possession – and the owner considered to very lucky.

In places which saw few witch hunts, black cats retained their status as good luck, and are still considered as such in Japan, Britain and Ireland.

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