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Cats and Luck
Cats - especially black ones - have long been associated with luck, both good and bad. A
great deal of the world's folklore and superstition is about cats one way or another. This
is possibly because of the cat's association with witches and psychic powers along with their ability to "fall on their
feet". Many people buy lucky cat charms.
Unfortunately this plethora of superstitions causes its own problems - a lot of things are
either lucky or unlucky depending on who you listen to! Here are a few
pieces of cat folklore relating to luck and the interpretations which are most familiar to
me.
Ships
Cats on ships were considered to be lucky, unless they fell
overboard in which case trouble resulted.
Dreams
There are so many tales associated with dreaming about cats... Most people seem to consider
such dreams lucky how a few say the opposite. There are also different beliefs connected
with the type of cat in the dream, for example dreaming of a tortoiseshell cat is
sometimes said to bring luck in love. However to dream of cats fighting or scratching you is
seen as unlucky.
Killing
Killing a cat is a definite no-no in many cultures an results in much bad luck - in ancient Egypt it was a capital offence. This is part of a wider band
of supersition that seems to suggest that anything bad you do to a cat will rebound
on to you as if they have some kind of powerful psychic shield.
Crossing Your Path
Simply seeing a black cat unexpectedly can be either lucky or unlucky. However if
an unknown black cat crosses your path then this is usually considered unlucky.
Graves
To some Christians, a cat sitting on a grave was bad luck for the deceased - it
represented the Devil's power over their soul. Two cats fighting on the grave represented
the Devil and God fighting for possession of the soul.
Tails
Stepping on the tail of a cat is said to bring bad luck. Considering the reaction of the
cat this probably isn't at all unlikely!
Houses
To have an unknown cat enter your house could be considered good or bad luck. Some people
say it's always lucky, others make an exception for the poor old black cat which is once
again singled out as unlucky. The opposite is also sometimes said - cats leaving or refusing
to enter a house means bad luck there.
All original material copyright © Trevor Mendham 2004 - 2008
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