Black cats are associated with bad luck in certain superstitions
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Multiple reference works, historical archives, and peer-reviewed studies establish that black cats are associated with bad luck in various cultural superstitions and folklore.
Some nonhuman animal shelters have developed rehoming programs for black cats to remedy what they believe are their higher rates of euthanasia and lower rates of adoption. This study reviews humans’ preferences/aversions to cats of various coat colors and uses contingency tables and multinomial logistic regression to test possible differences in outcomes (euthanasia, adoption, or transfer) for 7983 cats that entered an urban public shelter in Kentucky, USA from 2010 through 2011. While coat color overall was negligibly associated with cat outcomes in a contingency table, the pairwise difference between black and white cats was significant (p < 0.05) and nontrivial in strength. Specifically, black cats experienced the highest euthanasia and lowest adoption rates, while white cats had the lowest euthanasia and highest adoption rates. Brown, gray, and orange cats experienced similar outcomes, but middling between those of black and white cats. These patterns by color remained weak but significant after controlling for breed and stray status in regression analysis, with the exception of orange and white, which did not differ significantly. A subsample of 1219 entirely black cats was analyzed to assess whether they had different outcomes during the run-up to Halloween; their October percentages of adoption and transfer were comparable to or lower than all other months of the calendar year. Thus, this study did not find that outcomes improved for black cats during October. Overall, this study provides weak support for what has been termed “Black Cat Bias” by others, and hints that black cats in public shelters should receive extra consideration for rehoming, particularly if such efforts do not substantially redirect resources from other initiatives.
Do you touch wood for luck, or avoid hotel rooms on floor thirteen? Would you cross the path of a black cat, or step under a ladder? Despite the dominance of science in today’s world, superstitious beliefs—both traditional and new—remain surprisingly popular. Where did these superstitions come from, and why do they persist today? Superstition: A Very Short Introduction explores the nature and surprising history of superstition from antiquity to the present. It takes an exciting look at the varieties of popular superstitious beliefs today and the psychological reasons behind their continued existence, as well as the likely future course of superstition in our increasingly connected world.
Simple Summary In some cultures, black cats are viewed as causing bad luck. This may partially explain why it takes longer for black cats to be adopted from animal shelters. Three possible causes of this bias against black cats—superstitious beliefs, belief in witchcraft, and religiosity—were investigated in people who self-identified as liking dogs more than cats, cats more than dogs, and liking dogs and cats equally. Superstitious beliefs did not predict black cat bias. Religiosity and belief in witchcraft predicted black cat bias but only for people who reported liking dogs more than cats. In a second study, black cat bias was measured in the same people twice—at least six weeks before Halloween, a holiday associated with superstition and witchcraft, and no more than three weeks before Halloween. Black cat bias was stronger when measured right before Halloween. This suggests that black cat bias might be modified by environmental factors.
Black cat
A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur. They may be a specific breed, or a regular domestic cat with a mixed or no breed. Most black cats have golden irises due to their high melanin pigments. Black cats are present in myths, legends, and superstition. They are often grouped with witches and good or bad luck in European folklore.
The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay breed is only black.
content. Black cats are the subject of mythology, legend, and superstition. They are often associated with witches and good or bad luck in European folklore
A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur. They may be a specific breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. Most black cats have golden irises due to their high melanin pigment content. Black cats are the subject of mythology, legend, and superstition. They are often associated with witches and good or bad luck in European folklore.
The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 2
A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur. They may be a specific breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. Most black cats have golden irises due to their high melanin pigment content. Black cats are the subject of mythology, legend, and superstition. They are often associated with witches and good or bad luck in European folklore.
The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay breed is exclusively black.
Black cats are often a symbol of Halloween or witchcraft. Black cats have been historically considered bad luck in Europe. Their association with witchcraft likely comes from the Vox in Rama where…
Do you believe that cats have nine lives That a cat can suck a babys breath That a cat across your path is bad luck That black cats are lucky That they are unlucky That cats hypnotize birds That tailless cats are the offspring of cats and rabbits If you do youre just plain preMother Goose Many of our stories and superstitions about cats including even Puss in Boots trace far back over the centuries Italians of today and any others of us who share the superstition that the coming of a stray cat to ones home brings good luck are keeping alive a belief that has endured since Bast was the catgoddess of Egypt The sacredness of the cat that killed the rat that ate the Pharaohs grain was based funda mentally on a superstitious reverence for the mysterious small hunter of the night who came when she pleased left when she chose and asked no odds of any man Traces of this reverence carried over into Rome where the cat became the symbol of independence But after the Roman Empire fell cats came upon evil days and most of our unfavorable cat superstitions arose Do you believe that
r Cat Saperstitioi Began in Egypt and Has Persisted Till Present Day Of all the domesticated animal companions of man there attaches to the cat alone an air of mystery This is doubtless due to the animals weirdlnok ing eyes its peculiar habits stealthy movements night prowling and its strange vocal accomplishments ranging from soft musical mewing to the wailing shriek described by Poe half of horror and half of triumph such as might have arisen only out of hell conjointly from the throats of the damned in their agony and of the demons that exult in the damnation Upon this atmosphere of mystery which attaches to the cat and the widespread belief that the animal exercises a mysterious influence over the lives and destinies of human beings the poet Poe founded his grewsome tale The Black Oat These curious beliefs and superstitions attaching to the cat existed in very early times says the Boston Herald In ancient Egypt the cat was sacred to the goddess Isis and was held in the highest reverence Temples were erected in its houor and sacrifices and devotions offered up to it When the family cat of an Egyptian family died the members of
black cat is the theatrical emblem of good- luck , and when a new piece is produced the proper thing to do to secure success is to entice a black cat to come
Just how open‐minded are modern scientists? In this paper we examine this question for the science faculty from New Zealand and UK universities. The Exeter questionnaire used by Preece and Baxter (2000) to examine superstitious beliefs of high school students and preservice science teachers was used as a basis for a series of in‐depth interviews of scientists across a variety of disciplines. The interviews sought to understand the basis on which scientists form beliefs and how they judge evidence for various propositions, including those from the Exeter questionnaire and other contentious beliefs introduced during discourse. The scientists are dismissive of traditional superstitions like bad luck associated with black cats and inauspicious numbers such as 13, seeing such beliefs as socially grounded. There is a strong socio‐cultural aspect to other beliefs and personal experiences, and strongly held personal beliefs are influential, resulting in the scientists keeping an open mind about contentious belief...
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