Did You Know – Black Cats, Pt 1

October 1, 2026

Black Cats and Bad Luck

Candilee Jackson

Introduction

Few of us grew up without hearing all the myths and legends surrounding All Hallow’s Eve, including “don’t step on a crack, you’ll break your mother’s back”; or “don’t walk under a ladder”; or “don’t let a black cat cross your path!”  This last one, the black cat, is steeped in mystery and legend, falling squarely into the SUPERSTITION category.

Since October is the heart of fall and harvest, and the classic setting for mysteries, ghost stories around a campfire, and haunting music such as The Night on Bald Mountain, written in 1867 by Modest Mussorgsky, the beautiful but mysterious black cat is center stage. This month, however, the staff of Cat Talk will present TWO “Did You Know” columns: the first, examining the history and origins of black cat superstitions; and the second detailing how various world cultures view the black cat as the bringer of GOOD LUCK.

A Little History, If You Please!

Drawing of a witches’ Sabbath by Jacques de Gheyn II,  Netherlandish late 16th–early 17th century.

Let’s hop into “Mr. Peabody’s Way-Back Machine” and find ourselves in Rome of the Middle Ages, in the year 1230 AD, at the dawn of the occult and the belief in witchery. Even before the outbreak of the bubonic plague (the “Black Death”) of the 1400s, disease was rampant, and blame had to be placed somewhere. Women who learned the art of healing using herbs, plant roots, and odd household items were suddenly under suspicion, as were their cats. “The perceived connection between black cats and witches’ evil deeds continued to North America and came to a head with the Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s.”2

“The superstition that black cats bring bad luck traces primarily to medieval Europe, where the Catholic Church linked cats to heresy and devil worship starting in the 1230s. But the story is more complicated than a single point of origin. Black cats have been feared, worshipped, and considered lucky depending on the century and the culture. The superstition most people know today is really a layered belief built over about 800 years of European religious politics, witch trials, and psychological reinforcement.”6

In an effort to right a wrong, scientists and historians place the blame for the killing of medieval black felines on the church. In 1233 AD, “Pope Gregory IX issued a papal document called ‘Vox in Rama’” which detailed the rituals of the Luciferians, a German heretical sect. “Among the claims, largely extracted through torture, were descriptions of demon worship involving a black cat. The confessions portrayed the cat as a figure that appeared during satanic ceremonies.”6 While not exactly a direct order to murder cats, the impact of the proclamation on the feline population was significant.

The occult, witchery, and black cats soon followed those seeking religious freedom in the New World. Elizabeth I passed a law against witchcraft and enchantments in 1563, opening the floodgates for prosecution, stating that small household pets were a supernatural bond with the accused women.4 A pamphlet published in 1566 at the height of the Massachusetts witch trials, “the concept of the ‘familiar,’ an animal servant that carried out a witch’s evil bidding,” was introduced. The familiar could shape-shift, appear and disappear at will, and the concept set a formidable legal precedent for future witch trials.6

Why the Belief Persists: Human Psychology

“Once a superstition takes hold, human psychology keeps it alive. Research into the cognitive mechanisms behind superstitious thinking shows that people tend to overweight events that seem to confirm a pattern while ignoring events that don’t. If you believe black cats bring bad luck and something goes wrong after seeing one, you remember it. The dozens of times nothing happened don’t register.”6

Myths, legends, and superstitions slowly become part of a culture, and regardless of scientific proofs, belief in the occult continues, creating a self-perpetuating cycle. In real life, the black cat superstition is not just a quirky thing from the distant past; it has measurable effects on black cat populations. “A study analyzing cat outcomes at an urban U.S. shelter found that black cats had the highest euthanasia rate (74.6%) and the lowest adoption rate (10.0%) of any coat color.”7

As we enter the last three months of the calendar year, October, November, and December begin the various holidays around which Christians celebrate and rejoice in many things. However, black felines are at the most critical point in their lifetimes during October. Witchery and ghost stories abound, curiosity is at its peak during the witching season, and sometimes simple common sense flies out the window when it comes to Halloween pranks. Sadly, local news channels broadcast community service announcements urging viewers to keep household pets, especially black cats, safely indoors for most of October.

“Eight centuries after a papal document first linked black cats to demonic rituals, and nearly 500 years after a cat named Satan appeared in a witch trial pamphlet, the superstition continues to shape how people treat living animals. The belief has outlasted the Church’s campaign against heresy, the witch trial era, and any rational basis it never had to begin with.”6-7

Annotated drawing by the church’s investigator showing the cat Agnes purported to have birthed.

Agnes Bowker’s Cat:  A Medieval Tale

In 1569, Agnes Bowker, a young servant girl and daughter of the town butcher, testified in court that she gave birth out of wedlock to “a cat, a monster-like creature.” She had been attended to by two of the town’s midwives, both testifying that, indeed, she had given birth to a cat. As fantastic as this story may seem, a bedraggled cat was presented as evidence. Over time, her story changed with each retelling, and it soon came out that Agnes had been with a servant boy as well as the schoolmaster. Court officials performed an autopsy on the cat and only found straw and bacon in its stomach, but nothing unusual or scary. “The men reported to the townsfolk that instead of being a supernatural entity, it was only a normal cat.”4 Coincidentally, Ann’s neighbor reported that her cat was missing.4

And the Tail End

“These unwarranted associations with all things creepy have given black cats an unfair – and flat-out wrong – reputation. In reality, black cats are friendly, loyal, and stunning. They make affectionate family members and are just as personable and social as cats of any other color.”3

 

References

  1. Caro, Tina. 2026. “Seven Fascinating Facts About Black Cats You Probably Didn’t Know.” Magickal Spot. February 16. Accessed August 08, 2026. https://magickalspot.com/black-cats-superstitions/
  2. DVM, Stephanie Howe. 2025. “Ten Interesting, Little-Known, and Fun Facts About Black Cats.” Pet MD. September 2025. Accessed August 08, 2026. https://www.petmd.com/cat/general-health/black-cat-facts
  3. King, Amber. 2025. “Seven Fascinating Facts About Black Cats You Probably Didn’t Know.” Cats.com. November 30. Accessed August 08, 2026. https://cats.com/black-cats-facts
  4. Lin, Kimberly. 2016. “Black Cat Superstition: Good and Bad Luck Beliefs.” Historic Mysteries (History Channel). October 02. Accessed August 08, 2026. https://www.historicmysteries.com/myths-legends/black-cat-superstition/6774/
  5. Riley, Riley A. n.d. “Superstitions and Black Cats.” Carnegie Museum of National History. Accessed August 08, 2026. https://carnegiemnh.org/superstitions-and-black-cats/
  6. 2026. “Where Did the Black Cat Superstition Come From?” Science Insights. March 09. Accessed August 08, 2026. https://scienceinsights.org/where-did-the-black-cat-superstition-come-from/
  7. 2026. “Why Are Black Cats Unlucky? Superstitions, History, Myths and Origins.” Britannica. July 01. Accessed August 08, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Why-Are-Black-Cats-Unlucky