|
Halloween is fast approaching. Images of ghosts, jack-o-lanterns, and witches loom wherever you turn. Long associated with witches are black cats - and the superstitious folklore about these felines. So why are black cats black? And why are they considered to be unlucky? Let's find out in the final installment of this two-part series.
Black Cats – Color and Genetics
 What causes a cat's coat to be black? A genetic fur mutation is one reason. Because the gene for black fur is recessive, however, a cat needs two copies of the gene to be recessive. But genetics may not tell the whole story.
According to Stephen O'Brien at the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), this genetic mutation may be an indicator of a cat's health. Specifically, the ability to resist feline versions of AIDS, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and multiple sclerosis may be more common among cats of certain colors. O'Brien's study of house cats, jaguars, and leopards was published in Current Biology in 2003.
Folklore and Superstition
If you're an American who believes in bad omens, you probably know that you shouldn't pass in the path of a black cat. (In Britain and Ireland, however, black cats are sometimes considered to be lucky). Not surprisingly, then, black cats in the U.S. have the lowest adoption rates. Perhaps Americans don't want to have perpetual bad luck wandering around the house?
Black cat folklore has been handed down through the ages. In ancient Egypt, cats were worshipped and even mummified and mourned after death. The Romans also considered cats to be sacred. In most European countries, however, the Church associated cats with witchcraft. Religious leaders believed that cats were shape shifters, and that witches could transform themselves into them. Thus, if you harmed the cat, you harmed the witch.
Today, there are still many superstitions associated with black cats. Good luck is said to come from possessing one, having it greet you at the door, or enter your home. Meeting three black cats in succession or touching one is also considered to be lucky. Bad luck associated with black cats includes meeting one early in the morning, having one turn its back on you, scaring a black cat away from your property, or following it under a ladder. But isn't the part about the ladder supposed to be bad luck anyway?
Editor's Note: Thank you Sharkles for the photo of Delilah.
Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_cat
http://www.csicop.org/superstition/library/blackcat.html
| 
Re: Halloween Animals – Black Cats: Science and Superstition (Part 2)
