Please note that some posts contains affiliate links & I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links Find out More

Halloween & Black Cats: Kitty Myth-Teries Explained

by | Oct 10, 2022 | Cat Behavior & Care | 18 comments

It’s one of my favorite times of year. My book CAT LIFE includes fun Halloween and black cat myths. These are fun spooky stories to shiver over, but loving cats and dispelling kitty myth-teries should happen all year long.

black cat myths

An early color mutation of wild cats was the solid black color–and also was apparently associated with cats being “friendlier.”

Take a look and keep a tally of just how many of these spooky cat tails—and tales—from around the world sound familiar even today. Of course, you want to keep all your pets safe over Halloween. But it’s sure fun to read about ghosties and goblins, especially of the feline kind. More of these fascinating cat tales can be found in my newest book CAT LIFE: Celebrating the History, Culture & Love of the Cat.

NOTE: Due to the #$%^! pandemic, shipping of physical books come with delays so order NOW for holiday gift-giving. Shoot me an email if you’d like me to send you a paw-tograph to insert into a special gift. *s* In fact, the hardcover version is on sale here.

Cats As Gods (Even Black Cats!)

Egyptians loved and revered all animals, and considered many to be emissaries of gods. The large wild cats including leopards and lions represented virility and power, but the common housecat came to be worshiped as a god of pleasure and happiness. Called alternately Bast, Bastet and Pasht, this human-shaped goddess (with a cat head) rose to prominence in the ancient city of Bubastis, and her temple cats (much like the one sleeping in your lap) were considered emissaries of the goddess.

The name “Bast” can be translated as “the tearer” or “the render” which referred to the goddess’s nightly battle with the sun’s mortal enemy, the Serpent of Darkness. Bast was symbolized by the moon—which waxed and waned like the cat’s eye—and each day when the battle was won, the sun rose again.

Egypt’s cats were protected and cherished by the priests, and each whisker-twitch and tail-dance was carefully interpreted as messages from the goddess. Because they were so sacred, other countries took advantage of the fact. The Persian King Cambyses II had his soldiers use kitties as shields, and because the Egyptians refused to risk hurting a sacred cat, they offered no resistance and the battle was lost.

Black kitten on red cat tree.

Cats love being put on a pedestal!

Cats Revered Around The World

Buddhist, Burmese and Siamese cultures had similar beliefs as the ancient Babylonians that cats served as sacred vessels for human souls to attain paradise. When a holy person died, the cat hosted the spirit for as long as the cat lived, and then carried the human soul into Paradise when the cat died. Wow, maybe that’s why my Siamese wannabe Seren-dipity has such a high-and-mighty c’attitude.

Cats in Japan were greatly honored and in AD 600 served as guards to precious manuscripts housed in pagodas. They believed a cat crossing the path was good luck. Cats were valued so highly in the 10th century that common folks weren’t allowed to keep cats. Only noble families were granted that privilege.

In early Ireland, a cat-headed god was worshipped during the 1st century AD. Black cats crossing your path was considered good luck during the Middle Ages in Britain, and a black cat was also supposed to be able to cure epilepsy. Scandinavia also celebrated animals in religion. Freya, the Viking goddess of love and beauty, rode in a chariot drawn by “the most affectionate of all domestic animals, the cat.”

Some folks believe this

Some folks believe this “throne” is more appropriate for devil cats!

Cats As Demons

The gods and angels of earlier religions become the demons of later ones. So since cats had been celebrated by early civilizations, they became the scapegoats of ‘modern’ religions.

A Medieval legend recounts that the Devil tried to copy God and create man, but only managed to produce a sorry, skinless animal—the cat. St. Peter felt sorry for the pitiful creature, though, and generously gave it a fur coat—its one and only valuable possession.

Hebrew folklore prompted the legend that cats steal an infant’s breath. The story may have stemmed from tales of Adam’s hated first wife, the vampire Lilith. She assumed the form of a gigantic ebony cat called El Broosha, and newborns were her favorite prey.

Cats became associated with witchcraft and the devil during the Middle Ages in Europe and suffered greatly. Tales of feline familiars were common. In Europe and early America, black cats became linked to the devil and evil and were feared, because black was the color of the night and darkness—hence the devil.

Many religions include cats (and dogs) in their history. Do pets go to heaven? This post considers the question. 

black cat under bed

Black cats deserve to come out of the shadows and into our laps!

Why Cats Get Blamed?

Because of the cat’s unique sensory capabilities, feline behavior foibles have given cats a bad reputation. Cats were thought to influence the weather, especially storms at sea. Today we know that felines can detect changes in barometric pressure, silent earth tremors that announce future earthquakes, or yowling just before a loved one dies.

Superstitious people found it easy to blame the cat as a cause of disasters, rather than celebrate kitty’s unique detection skills at predicting such things. But that doesn’t make the cat’s mysterious abilities any less extraordinary.

Today, some cat haters continue to point fingers particularly at feral cats. It’s up to responsible cat parents to take proper care of their feline family members (including community cats!).

cat-smileDo your cats dress up for Halloween? Image Copr. JT Seimer/Flickr

Do you share your life with a black cat? Have your cats ever seemed “other-worldly” or acted in a spooky way? What kinds of ghostly Halloween-like antics have you and your cats (and dogs!) experienced? Will they dress up this Halloween, or prefer to go “au naturelle?” Do tell!

Here’s a fun post about ghost pets, including a visitation from my beloved Bravo-Dawg. Check out the Howl-oween pet safety and costume tips in this TV segment, too.

 

YouTube Button

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book giveaways and appearances related to my September Day pet-centric THRILLERS WITH BITE!

Amy Shojai, CABC is a certified cat & dog behavior consultant, a consultant to the pet industry, and the award-winning author of 35+ pet-centric books and Thrillers with Bite! Oh, and she loves bling!

 

18 Comments

  1. Franklin Steele

    Our black cat was brilliant…could do tricks, and was much loved.

    Reply
  2. Savvy Pet Care (@savvypetcare)

    I knew some of these myths and enjoyed reading the ones I hadn’t heard. It’s hard to believe that some of these myths persist today.

    Reply
    • Amy Shojai

      I had lots of fun looking these up.

      Reply
  3. Robin

    I love cat myths! What a great way to celebrate Black Cat Appreciation Day. 🙂 There are a couple of things you mentioned that I will have to look for more into on. Thank you for the great post!

    Reply
    • Amy Shojai

      Yep, there are some that still persist. Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  4. Andrea

    Interestingly I’ve recently read reports that say the Egyptians also used to sacrifice cats though I can’t cite those references right now. I also forget what “they” think were the reasons. Evidently they’ve found tombs with piles of mummified cat bodies and hieroglyphics that tell what they were for. If I find that again I’ll let you know.

    Reply
  5. Brenda

    Glad to finally hear that black cats ARE sweeter as all of the ones I have known (and our current dear) definitely have been.

    Once a lady walking by our house thought Oscar was a Halloween decoration until he moved. He used to arch his back A LOT & that is what she saw. He does it less as he has grown up but still does it. I never can fully capture it on the camera somehow.

    Reply
    • Amy Shojai

      Brenda, photographing black pets is a PITA! Unless they also have white whiskers I’ve never had great shots of the black kitties (or doggies).

      Reply
      • Karyl

        If your camera has a programmable mode, I can give you a hint. On my camera, when you go into the menu on program mode, it’s called “EV compensation” – lower it and it makes things darker. Raise it and it makes things lighter. Something else that helps is to have a handheld light so your autofocus can figure out where the heck it’s going.

        Not quite as fine-tune-able as it is with an SLR, but a lot of the point-and-shoot cameras are getting better with stuff like that. 🙂

        Reply
        • Amy Shojai

          Loved my SLR, but now the digital isn’t as flexible. Photoshop helps after the fact, though. *s*

          Reply
          • Karyl

            A lot of the DSLRs are catching up again though. Once I can afford one I am going to be doing a bit of research on current models and recommendations. Last time I hunted around I think the Canon 7D was looking like my best bet.

  6. Karyl

    I have definitely seen evidence that black cats are friendlier. Every one I’ve known has been a huge lovebug. Simba’s mother, Maxine, was also the best hunter I’ve ever known. We got her as a barn cat when we had horses way back when. She once saw a mouse while my cousin was holding her, jumped out of his arms and caught the mouse before either of them hit the ground. In her last days, sporting an incurable brain infection thanks to an injury that went right through her skull (the vet said probably coyote, we still think it looked an awful lot like talon marks – either way she fought off whatever it was to come home) she still brought home small animals for her then-grown babies to eat. Couldn’t walk straight but she could still hunt. Used to chase off the local tomcats (after she was spayed at least), kept them out of our yard. She was the mother of most of the cats we’ve had (we had 12 of them at one point, only 2 of which weren’t related to her if I recall). She was one tough kitty, we were all sad to see her go.

    As for “other worldly” kitty senses… Simba once sat staring at one of our non-corporeal residents waiting to be petted. Just sat there are stared and gave that look she always had when she saw a hand that was not petting her and should be. Other than that she usually never showed any signs of seeing anything “extra”. But I will say, a few days after she died, I went to bed, and just a few minutes after laying down, nowhere close to sleep yet, I looked over and saw her, plain as day, coming toward me on the bed like she always did before… only for a moment… then she was gone. I’m told the rules of death can be a bit different for the furred ones, and especially for cats. I’ve heard they can walk between the two worlds as they choose. That they of all creatures will never have to pay the ferryman (though we buried her with her fare just the same – it’s a lonely job, after all).

    I have to admit I am rather fascinated by many of the creatures associated with death and magic. They always seem to have something special and mysterious about them, supernatural or otherwise. Ravens and crows capture me in the same way, though for them it is partly due to their extreme intelligence that so often goes underrated.

    Reply
    • Amy Shojai

      Oh Karyl, that had to be comforting to see Simba that way! In the days after my first shepherd passed, I felt him jump onto the bed. He’d never done that during his life, his hips were so bad, so it seemed like a way for him to tell me he truly was okay.

      I’m fascinated by the “other worldly” stories and myths, too. You should see my book shelf! 🙂

      Reply
      • Karyl

        Comforting and heart wrenching at the same time, I think. But it was nice to have one last memory of her that was not her lifeless body. I knew she was okay already – living with who I live with, I have a bit of a line in to some of it (he has been through the medicine trials of his tribe, after all, and part of their role is as guide and communicator for the dead and the spirit world). Plus, we’re pretty sure Anubis was playing with her those first few days. I think she stuck around to make sure he was going to be okay…

        Reply
        • Amy Shojai

          Wow, Anubis got to say goodbye, too.

          Reply
          • Karyl

            Yeah. Glad he did, since he was there watching with the rest of us… can’t imagine that was easy on him.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Black Cat Appreciation Day: Picking the Perfect Cat - […] Maybe that’s why so many of the so-called witches were associated with black kitties. Read more about black cats…
  2. Halloween Pet Costumes: How to Dress Dogs in Costumes - […] he has never objected to his collar and tags. I think that’s one reason cats cultivate their Halloween mystique,…
  3. Halloween Pets Safety: Protect Pets from Halloween Goblins - […] ← Halloween & Black Cats: Kitty Myth-Teries Explained […]
  4. Amy Shojai's Blog - […] Have you thought about dog BITE Halloween safety? and I’m not talking about vampires, either. Many dogs enjoy the…
  5. Hating Cats & : Feral Cats Attacked & What to Do - […] This isn’t new. Cats have been the scapegoat for many of the world’s ills. Perhaps it’s because our felines…

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories:

Recent Posts

Update on Cyprus Cats: New FIP Strain Identified

This past summer I reported on the apparent FIP outbreak among cats on the island of Cyprus. As thousands of cats quickly sickened and died from signs of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), experts puzzled over why. While the feline-specific illness tragically kills most infected cats (if not given expensive hard-to-access treatment), pockets of “outbreaks” had previously been limited to handfuls of cats in cattery or shelter population.

But in Cyprus, things changed. Here’s the update…stranger than fiction, but true.

How To Give Pets As Gifts

Giving pets as gifts prompts discussions every time the subject comes up. Most recently, we got our “gift puppy” and “gift kitten” when they adopted us, and we’re so glad Karma-Kat and Shadow-Pup are part of our holidays. But for many folks, this year means a new puppy or new kitten for Christmas. Learn how to gift pets–and please share your experiences in the comments!

The professionals used to say that the holidays were a TERRIBLE time to get a new pet–that impulse adoptions could leave the cat or dog without a home after the cute-holiday-thrills wore off. More recently, though, the ASPCA conducted some surveys and discovered that when done properly, these adoptions can be lasting, loving adoptions. So I had to re-think my advice.

Holidays tend to be hectic times when normal routines go out the window. Whether a baby, adult, or senior rescue cat or dog, new animals need the stability of knowing what to expect. In fact, some holiday schedules may allow you to be home more during this time to help the new kitty or pooch adjust.

Holiday pets take more work, true. But just think: you’re not only giving the pet to a person—you’re giving a special human to a waiting cat or dog, a fur-kid hungry for a loving, permanent home. Happy holidays, indeed!

Mystery Canine Respiratory Disease? What We Know

Each fall and winter heralds a rise in respiratory illnesses in people–and also in dogs. Like humans, dogs can contract a number of hacking, wheezing, coughing, yucky illnesses that make them feel bad. Canine respiratory diseases get lumped together as canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC). These are a constellation of different illnesses resulting from viral, fungal, or bacterial infections.

One of the most common, kennel cough, spreads easily from dog to dog. It gets its name because dogs housed closely together in kennels, boarding facilities, shelters, and similar places provide the perfect transmission opportunity. But recently, an apparent increase in dog respiratory disease has owners, and many vets concerned.

13 Pet Holiday Dangers to Avoid: How to Keep Cats & Dogs Safe

I write about pet holiday dangers every year. This listicle (and a fun infographic at the bottom) offers more than a dozen problems. I’ve included links to more detailed information for those wanting a deeper dive on all the must-knows for pet holiday safety!

Merry Cat-Mas & Doggy Ho-Ho-Ho! Here’s How to Create a Tree for the Pets

Have you decked the halls yet with your howl-iday decor? What do the pets think? Have they joined in the spirit of ho-ho-ho and wreaked havoc? Or do they ignore the festivities?

The Christmas tree might as well be an early holiday gift to your cats and dogs. Pets can’t resist the urge to sniff, claw, water—and scale the branches to reach the highest possible perch. Don’t blame your cat or dog. It’s normal for cats to compete for the top spot (literally and figuratively) to secure their place in kitty society, and dogs may want to “mark” the convenient indoor doggy signpost.

Protect your precious memories by pet-proofing to prevent breakage (yes, this happened to me!) And give your pets something “legal” to enjoy. Here’s how to create pet safe holiday fun for cats and dogs.

Playing Around…in SISTER ACT Musical!

From time to time, I’m blessed to participate in the local community theater productions. Sometimes, that means playing cello or keyboard in the loft, and other times, onstage. This month, I’m “playing around” as Sister Mary Martin-of-Tours, a nun in SISTER ACT musical. We open Friday December 1 and run three weekends (Thursday-Sunday matinee) through December 17th.

Cat Books Sale: “When you get a cat, there should be 4 requirements by law:

I was born to love pets & spread JOY! My books bring smiles, save lives, and reduce vet bills. So I put ALL MY CAT BOOKS ON SALE…cuz maybe you’ll want to “adopt” more of my 35+ award-winning pet books or share the purr-fect love with other pet lovers.

You can get ’em for full price on Amazon, BUT…

Dog Books Sale: “One of the best I have read…”

I was born to love pets & spread JOY! My books bring smiles, save lives, and reduce vet bills. So I put ALL MY DOG BOOKS ON SALE…cuz maybe you’ll want to “adopt” more of my 35+ award-winning pet books or share the purr-fect love with other pet lovers.

You can get ’em for full price on Amazon, BUT…

Counting Thanksgiving Blessings, the Pet Writer Way in 2023

Time for my annual Count My Blessings post. The past year has meant change, change, and more change, and that’s good and also challenging. But some things never change…I’m thankful to you—yes, those who read this blog, the cat book lovers, and the dog book lovers, and folks who have “adopted” my thriller series. And those who offered awesome applause and support any of the other venues mentioned…

7 Tips How to Prepare Cats, Dogs, and People for Holiday Visits

How to Prepare Cats, Dogs, and People for Holiday Visits

Holiday celebrations include visiting family and friends. It also means keeping pets safe during the holidays. Since we consider cats and dogs part of the family, pet holiday visits require special preparations. Changes to routine can increase fear, anxiety, and stress in everyone, and especially our pets. Hitting the road also raises stress levels, so unless your pets adore car travel, prepare with advice in this article. Here are some tips for reducing the angst once you arrive, so that everyone enjoys family pet holiday visits.

Visit Amy's Website

Amy Shojai CACB is an award winning author.  You can find all her publications and book her to speak via her website. 

On Demand Writer Coaching

AmyShojai.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com http://amazon.com/.

Awards

Memberships