Origins of a Stereotype: Black Cats

            If you live in America or many other Western countries, chances are you harbor some sort of stigma towards black cats. Perhaps not on an individual basis, but you may remember that black cats are a sign of bad luck. Perhaps your mind jumps to Halloween and witches and devilry or to Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

This view of black cats in American society is so prevalent that it is practically unnoticeable. It is so ingrained into our collective psyche that there is hardly any way to recognize the harm this attitude has on innocent animals. From pop culture to popular holidays, the stereotype is referenced and perpetrated through literature, film, anarchic symbolism, and other elements of the entertainment industry. Though most people do not know where the stereotype has originated, they are familiar with idioms that seem as old as time and seem to just fit in with our collective cultural vocabulary: Black cats are an omen of ill tidings, the sign of the devil, or a witch’s familiar. This begs the question – why? Why do these stereotypes exist? What exactly is wrong with the color black that a black cat is treated or viewed differently than a white or tabby? Is there truly a significant difference in how people adopt cats of various colors? Is this stereotype against black cats more of a generalization than how people view said cats on an individual basis? And how exactly do other nations perceive black cats?      

This discrimination against black cats in general is not new, though it does differ between cultures. In most Western European nations as in America, black cats are seen in a negative light. In the United Kingdom however, black cats are actually considered harbingers of good fortune. The same is true for Japan as well as Australia, where it is a lucky incident when a black cat crosses your path. In Scotland, a black cat found on the porch is considered lucky, whereas Americans consider dreaming of or seeing a white cat at night to be a sign of good luck. Amongst domestic creatures and pets, cats in general are victims of many stereotypes, some negative and some not. For example, the folks in the Netherlands refused to allow cats to enter any room where a private conversation was occurring, because they believed that cats were gossip-mongers spreading their information all throughout the town. On the other hand, the Italians believed that hearing a cat sneeze brought good fortune upon all those lucky enough to hear it, and the Egyptians essentially worshiped felines. Cats were considered so sacred that any human that killed one would receive the same as consequence. Cats were commonly seen in Egyptian hieroglyphs, and were mummified and buried alongside pharaohs or in cat graveyards. They were viewed much as how cows are viewed in India in the Hindu religion.

 

Even in England however, where black cats are considered lucky, this was not always the case. In ancient times, cats were considered a sign of fertility and respected as divinities. However, with the spread of Christianity, the pagan gods were all converted into demons or blasphemous creatures of some sort. This initiated the turn in tide towards how cats were seen in general. One Greek myth taught that a woman named Galenthias was turned into a cat and became the “Dark Mother,” or goddess of witchcraft. This indicates a clear fear and mistrust of cats and associates them directly to evil and witches. The Middle Ages was not a time in which magic was seen in a positive light.  Interestingly, black cats were the very first color that mutated from the original striped tabby cat found in Egypt. However, the origins of human fear of this creature can be traced to the Middle Ages.  This was a period of darkness and ignorance, commonly considered a step backward in human culture and intellect. For this reason, this era was full of legend and fear. Single women who chose to shelter cats for companionship were considered witches and shunned by villagers. Sometime in the late 1500’s was a significant peak in persecution towards witches, and cats were directly involved in the torture and cruelty these women were subjected to.

 Fear of darkness and the unknown, and fear of the devil led to the stigmatization of the color black. This combined with fear of cats led to an intense rejection of black cats. More than any other feline, black cats in particular were considered witches’ familiars. Familiars are basically creatures that aid witches in their questionable and frightening shenanigans. There was also a pervading belief that witches could turn into black cats, when shifting from their human forms, so therefore at this time, there was no qualm against killing cats. It was easier than killing a “being” that looked human despite its supposedly demonic origins. Witch-burning was a common practice, and their black cats were as often as not burned alongside the owners.

Because Halloween stems from pagan practices, these fears have carried over. Though they are no longer explicit fears, and are instead heavily commercialized, the symbol of the black cat as a representative of evil pervades our culture. In the play The Master and Margarita, the character of Behemoth is an enormous black cat that is part of the Devil’s entourage. We saw this play firsthand, performed by the Broccoli Project with our very own Joe/Bengal as the lead. Although modern day practices are exponentially tamer than the Medieval rituals of All Hallow’s Eve, there is still a significant amount of danger for black cats connected to this holiday, and pet shelters have taken notice and preventative action.

Human cruelty still exists. There is a significant perception of danger to black cats during the Halloween holidays, for pranks are still pulled by people who don’t consider the creatures they taunt and tease and pain to be living breathing beings. Many adoption agencies have reported that after the month of October, a substantial number of black cats are returned with the claim that “it just didn’t work out.” This is thought to be code for, “I am done using this living being for a prop for my Halloween decorations.” Clearly this is unhealthy for any creature – human beings themselves deal very poorly with being shuffled between foster homes. With this combination of ignorance, inconsiderateness, and downright cruelty, many animal shelters and adoption agencies shut down the adoption process for black felines for the entire month of October.

Though the intentions here are pure, it is the unforeseen consequence that tends to be the problem. By stopping adoption of black cats for an entire month, this creates a huge pileup of cats that need to be adopted and simply slows down the process of finding these creatures permanent homes. Many agencies continue to allow adoptions of black cats, as adoption is done on an individual case basis, but are much more thorough and cautious during this time.

However, there is no clear evidence or scientific information and data proving that satanic rituals and animal abuse occur in extraordinary doses. However, the fact that it occurs at all is disturbing in and of itself. It is clear that the stigma against black cats persists to this day.

The black cat is even a symbol of anarchy. The Industrial Workers of the World union chose this symbol precisely for the fear it instills. Robert Chaplin, one the union’s leaders, described that using the black cat was indicative of sabotage, and their purpose was to use the black cat to sabotage the superstitious boss.

In pop culture and the entertainment industry, black cats are definitely the cat of choice in scary movies and anything to do with witches. I’ve included a clip of the classic Halloween comedic movie, Hocus Pocus, in which the three witches turn the main character into a black cat. Although he is clearly the hero of the story, simply because this is a Halloween movie and the witches are casting a spell, he is turned into a black cat. Any other color would not mesh well with our cultural expectations.

I’ve also found a song by the Mayday Parade titled Black Cat. The lyrics are included in the video and indicate the idea of the black cat as a sort of anarchist. Maybe a relationship anarchist, but a destructive figure nonetheless. The Janet Jackson song Black Cat also references a similar relationship figure.



Although in general this stigma may exist, it is important to note that on an individual basis, many people adore black cats. Our very own Charlotte/Elephant has a beautiful black kitty named Harriet! As awareness and acceptance increase, the plight of supposedly unlucky black cats can shift towards the positive.