Black cat lore

Black cats and Halloween seem to be connected at the hip. How and when did black cats become associated with evil, witches and bad luck? Most of the folklore about black cats can be traced to the early settlers in the USA. Before that time any colored cat in Europe were suspected of being a familiar of a witch, not just black cats. In fact black cats were considered to be good luck in several areas of Europe. It was the bible thumping puritans that started many of the black cat fears and superstitions.

Pity the poor older women who lived alone in those days who’s only companion was a cat. She was immediately suspected as being a witch. If it was a black cat it would often be more evidence against the woman. It was the long held belief that the color black was associated with magic and witchcraft. So the puritans put 2 and 2 together and came up with 7.  The stupid part about those beliefs is that it did not translate into black horses or other black animals the people might have owned, only cats.

The black cat is suppose to bring good luck in China and England so it is more proof that the folk lore of black cats bringing bad luck is strictly a new world phenomenon.