The Black Cat
The ability to see in the dark, the lightning quick reflexes and glowing eyes all lend weight to the superstition that black cats are unlucky. Cats will often freeze in place and look at a disturbance that is almost undetectable to us, which many people believe is evidence that the common housecat can see into the spirit realm. In fact, that belief has endured for over a thousand years. No other domestic animal is as mysterious, and thus the target of superstition, as the common cat.
Cats have the honour of being mentioned in several religions, and were even deified by the ancient Egyptians. The male cat was inextricably linked to the Egyptian god, Ra, and female cats with the god, Bastet. It was actually worse to kill a cat in ancient Egypt, than it was to kill a human being.
Besides ancient Egypt, the cat can be found in the ancient writings of Mohammed and Confucius. The Romans even took the cat under their wing, and identified felines with their god, Diana, also known as Hecate. This wasn't a good moment for the cat as a race, since Hecate was said to take the form of a cat when she left the underworld to visit earth.
Later, after the fall of Rome, the cat was thought to be the symbol of Satan in Europe. This belief naturally carried over to witches, who were thought to need a familiar if their magical powers were to be effective. Of course, the witch was also thought to be able to take the physical form a black cat.
In short, the cat has been deified, Satanized, Demonized and domesticated. It's really no shock that some of the folklore and beliefs from the past has leaked through to present day, making the cat one of the most feared, yet respected animals to walk the planet.
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