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2 plus 5 makes 7
by: Pamela Price Svoboda
It was fall and time to find Mrs. Kitty's litter of kittens a home. We took all 5 of them to our Vet to have a check up and get all their shots before we placed them in the hands of the local pet store to be sold. Our Vet was delighted to see such beautiful kittens but was concerned when he saw the 3 black cats. He explained to us that he did not suggest that we put the black cats up for adoption now since it was October. To my shock he explained how they tried to protect all animals and during October many cults bough black cats for sacrificial purposes. I was horrified that that type thing was going on right in my own neighborhood! Ohhhh Noooo not my cats! My cats are NOT going to be killed just for being a black cat.
While getting all the facts together, I also found out that some religious Christian groups still kill cats because of their association to what they believe is evil or because they belong to someone who they think is evil. Can you believe that there are still people out there that think cats are evil spirits that have taken the form of a cat? Geesh!! Some even believe that the ownership of certain type cats is their "evidence" of Satanic association and witchcraft which has got to be some of the most ridiculous information that I think I've heard yet. Cats, are still believed to be evil in their own right, from many religious groups and often punished by being burned alive.
I also found out that it is traditional for Witches to have tabbies and calicos. Did you know that? Well.... which type of witches?? Good witches or bad witches?? I didn't know. I had 3 black cats, 1 tabby and 1 female calico. What on earth was I going to do? I couldn't bear the idea of them being killed at all. This very litter of 5 beautiful kittens were now a litter that I could no longer put up for adoption. I made up my mind right then and there that my 5 cats were staying with me. I already had 2 cats and that was going to make 7 cats in all but I could not bear the idea of those babies having a tortured ending.
I always considered 7 a lucky number anyway.
I would just keep them myself.
And keep them myself I did!!
In the cat section of this Directory you can find pictures
of my 7 wonderful cats.
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Definition of Black Cat
- The black cat is a feline whose fur is uniformly black. It is not a particular breed of cat and may be mixed or of a specific breed. The all-black pigmentation is equally prevalent in both male and female cats, and typically skips one generation due to the characteristic's association with the X chromosome.
- Originally in Britain and Europe, a black cat crossing one's path was considered good luck; however they were also seen by the church as associated with witches. This association with witches possibly stems from pre-Christian Europe when witches weren't considered evil. In fact it was the church, who considered them unholy and pagan, who altered their reputation.
Find more definitions at:
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Facts
- During All Hallow’s Eve, black cats are rumored to be especially vulnerable to people who want to do them mischief. Even some cat shelters in the United States will not adopt out black cats prior to Halloween and few weeks after. Believed to be the time when a opening is created to the Otherworld and oftentimes the black cat is considered the catalyst for that propulsion......
- When the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock, they brought with them a devout faith in the Bible. They also brought a deepening suspicion of anything deemed of the devil. Comprised of Englanders and Europeans, these pilgrims were a deeply suspicious group. They viewed the black cat as a companion, or a familiar to witches. Anyone caught with a black cat would be severely punished or even killed. They viewed the black cat as part demon and part sorcery. read more here. Article by Mary Anne Miller, a free-lance writer and member of the Cat Writers' Association.
- The cat was worshipped in Egypt and to kill one was considered a capital crime. When an Egyptian family's cat died, the cat was mummified and the family went into mourning.
- In Western history, black cats have often been looked upon as a symbol of bad omens although they are considered to be good omens in other cultures.
- During the catholic inquisition when millions were killed, innocent people were tied to a stake and set aflame with often a black cat was thrown into the fire with them.
- Historically, black cats were symbolically associated with witchcraft and evil.
- In Hebrew and Babylonian folklore, cats are compared to serpents, coiled on a hearth.
- In the USA and parts of Europe which were affected by the witch hunts the association with witches caused black cats to be considered as bad luck. In places which weren't affected particularly by witch hunts, they retained their status as good luck, and are still considered as such in Japan and most of Britain.
- Since much of Wicca is reconstructed from supposed witchcraft practices, the black cat was adopted as a Wiccan symbol.
- 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.
- If a farmer believed his land had a spell cast upon it, the only way to break that spell was to shoot a black cat with a silver bullet.
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Witchcraft Facts
- Cats were often believed to be familiars of human witches.
- Cats are believed, by some Wiccans, to have the ability to sense the presence of spirits before humans notice them.
- Black cats, because of their ability to remain unseen in dark places or at night, were considered especially desirable partners for witches.
- Some witches were purported to have the ability to shape-shift into a cat nine times, hence the archaic belief that cats have "nine lives."
- Black cats were sometimes used in magical rituals, sometimes as purported participants, other times as sacrifices.
- In witch trials, ownership of a cat was often taken as "evidence" of Satanic association and witchcraft. Cats, believed to be evil in their own right, were often punished as well as humans during these trials, often being burned alive.
- Both historically and today, some religious and spiritual groups purportedly engage in ritualistic sacrifice of cats, though studies have mainly found that such reports belong squarely in the province of urban legend.
- Cats are never sacrificed in Wiccan rituals, since Wicca is a nature-oriented religion that encourages respect for animals. Many modern witches keep black cats as pets, and view them as sacred.
- In Russia, there is still a popular belief that if a black cat crosses a person's path in the street, that person should either choose a different direction in order to walk around the cat's path or cross it holding a button in his/her fingers (it could be a button on a person's jacket, pants, or shirt).
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Black Cat FolkLore
- If a black cat crosses your path, it is considered bad luck.
- In India it is thought that a reincarnated soul may be "liberated" by throwing a black cat into a fire.
- In Bengali folklore women could change their soul into a black cat and that any harm brought to the cat would be suffered by the women.
- The Celts thought black cats were reincarnated beings able to divine the future.
- German folklore believed that if a black cat jumped on the bed of a sick person it meant death was near.
- In Finland it was thought that black cats were thought to carry the souls of the dead to the other world.
- In China it is thought the presence of a black cat foretold of poverty.
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Keep Cats Indoors at Halloween
October: Black Cat Month
From Franny Syufy,
.....For the reasons cited above, it is best to keep all cats indoors during the month of October, regardless of their color, but especially if they happen to be black. (Indeed, cats are safer indoors any time of year.) Even though there may be no cultists in your neighborhood or community, the sheer numbers of people out and about on Halloween, along with increased vehicular traffic make the outdoors a frightening and unsafe place for small furry creatures.
In addition, on Halloween night and the weekend before, you'll be wise to keep your cats locked inside an interior room in the house, lest they panic and slip out when hobgoblins come to your door. Even the calmest cat can become upset at endless doorbell ringing and youthful voices shouting "Trick or treat!" Enjoy your holiday while saving your kitties from unnecessary stress.......
