Whenever we humans see something new, we judge it by its appearance and make an opinion before knowing the reality and the facts. For centuries, humans have formed a superstition around the significance of black cats. There are different myths and legends that make black cats scary and ill-fated for some communities. Despite being racially different from other cats, black cats are more or less the same as any other cat we see on the streets.
If we talk about the myths, then there are a lot of them. These myths and superstitions are the reason that many of the black cats never find a family that can adopt them. People think that they bring bad luck and in some way related to black magic. So before talking about the facts, first we’ll discuss some of the myths related to an innocent looking black cat.
Myths-
Black Cats are a Symbolism of Death- In Greek mythology, a Greek god’s wife turned her slave into a black cat. It is believed that she was sent to hell where she became the goddess of death. That’s the reason why still many people believe that black cats represent death and bad luck.
Cats and Witchcraft- It is not new that people have associated black cats with witches and witchcraft. This came from a belief that witches can turn themselves into cats (black cats specifically) and sneak into other people’s houses for doing dark magic.
This also gave birth to a common myth that cats have nine lives because as per the black magic is concerned, witches can only turn themselves into a cat only nine times and people actually used to believe that and maybe still believe it somewhere.
Black Cats can alter Luck- At one corner of the world, people avoid black cats because of fear and on the other they think that black cats bring luck. In many countries, people believe that owning a black cat in the house can really bring good luck. There are other things too, like if you see a black cat in your dreams then it can bring luck or presence of a black cat at a funeral is a sign of another death and even if a black cat crosses someone’s then according to the myth that person will experience bad luck.
Black Cats like Hot Water- This one is a little hilarious. It might be true that many cats hate bathing because of their coat being a bad insulator does not make them dry and they remain wet for a long time, which is a nightmare for cats that’s why most of them hate baths but still, there are cars that get amused and excited to see running water. So there are no facts that support that black cat like hot water. Getting wet or liking water is a cat’s personal choice and we can’t judge all the cats on the basis of a single one.
Since these are all myths about the black cats, we are going to debunk these myths and present to you the facts about black cats and also cats in general.
Fact #1
Black cats used to help sailors in dealing with the rats on board. They were also a sign of good luck and safe journey.
Fact #2
Many people believe that there is only one breed of black cats around the world, but that is actually not true. In reality, there are around twenty-two different known breeds of black cats.
Fact #3
Apart from all those myths and superstitions, black cats and even black dogs are very popular among people. If given a choice between different colors of cats, a higher percentage of people tend to choose black cats.
Fact#4
During the middle ages, the people of Europe associated black cats with the witch craft so if they saw any woman feeding or taking care of a black cat, then that woman was considered as a witch in the eyes of society.
Fact #5
It is very much believed by scientists that a black cat’s fur is not just for show, but it might also provide immunity for the cat towards the HIV. This discovery has given rise to the possibility of finding a cure for HIV.
Fact #6
There is actually only one black cat breed that is recognizable as black. “Parlour Panther” cat is the only breed with pure black color. The rest of the breed of black cats is mixed, but this one due to selective breeding became pure black.
Fact #7
There are many people around the world who in the name of superstition hurt and kill black cats. This has given a rise to a concern about their adoption. Many shelters have stopped the adoption of black cats around Halloween only because of this issue.
Fact #8
There is a Black Cat Appreciation day, which is celebrated on 17th of August.
Fact #9
Eyes of black cats are golden. This is because of high melanin content in their eyes.
Fact #10
The fur of black cats loses its color with time. If a cat stays in the sunlight for too long or becomes old then the cat’s fur changes into a dark brown color.
Fact #11
A black panther actually has spots all over its body because of melanin content. These black spots are visible in sunlight.
Fact #12
Black Cats have a very strong immune system and they are resistant to infections.
Fact #13
In Japan, black cats are used to attract life partners and are proved to be good for single women.
Fact #14
More and more people are adopting black cats because of the trends of social media.
Fact #15
There is a café name Nekobiayaka in Japan, which is devoted to black cats where there are a variety of black cats to pet and play with.
Fact #16
There are more male black cats in the world than there are females.
Fact #17
Black cats are stunningly beautiful and they can be a great pet. They attract a lot of attention because of their color.
There is no reason for not choosing a black cat as a pet. A black cat is most healthy and a very beautiful animal you can pet.