Does a Black Cat Bring Bad Luck?

I thought I would share my views on a black catThere are many other tales of how this cat brought
bringing bad luck. This cat has always been portrayedbad luck. When King Charles I's cat died, he was
as a mysterious animal. Due to it's reputation as a badaccused of high treason. In ancient times, this cat in
omen, the cat has a lesser chance of being adoptedfront of a fireplace symbolized an evil spirit and could
at an animal shelter.see ghosts. If a farmer thought his land was cursed, he
The cat has black fur but is not of any particular breedcould shoot this cat with a silver bullet and remove the
of cat. The black fur can be found in a male or female.curse.
Some of these cats have white markings on theirOn the other hand, there are instances when a black
face and paws. It does not matter if it is a mixedcat was considered to bring good luck. The Egyptians
breed or pure breed, the black fur will still prevail.worshiped this cat and banned it from being killed.
Since the 1880's, the color black was associated withSailors believed this cat would bring them good luck. In
anarchism and this cat became a symbol of thatthe British Isles and France, owning a black cat brings
political movement. The cat symbolized the idea ofgood luck.
sabotage. The symbol was used to influenceThese cats have been portrayed in movies and
managers of companies when there were laborliterature for many years. Edgar Allen Poe wrote a
disagreements. Sometimes the employee(s) would putshort story titled The Black Cat. The Black Cat was a
the cat in a manager's office as a reminder of the1934 horror film starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff.
dispute.The Aristocats, an animated Disney movie, featured
In the western world, a black cat is suppose to bringBerlioz, a black male cat, as one of it's main
bad luck. If this cat crosses someone's path, bad luckcharacters. The movie, Bell, Book and Candle starring
will follow. This belief started with the Pilgrims. The catJimmy Stewart and Kim Novak, featured witches with
was associated with a witch. Any person seen withblack cats. On the TV series, Sabrina, the Teenage
this cat might have been considered a witch andWitch, there was a black cat named Salem
associated with the devil. If a witch was caught, bothSaberhagen.
the witch and the cat would be burned at the stake.Who is to tell who is right? I have been lucky so far.
Every Halloween, you can still see images of witchesWhen you see a black cat, remember it's only a cat
and black cats.unless it is with a witch on a broomstick.