Carl preparing for Halloween
For Halloween this year, my Black Cat Carl asked that I do a little piece on, what else, Black Cats. So we took some photos and I sat down to write.
First let’s get this straight, black cats are good luck, not bad. Unlike Europeans and North Americans, the Japanese know this and consider it an auspicious sign when a black cat crosses their path.
The ancient Egyptians had it right as well. They saw it as a capital crime to kill a black cat. And the ancient Greeks too, they knew the truth. It’s been said that the goddess of the hunt, Artemis, was known to switch into her black cat disguise when she went undercover.
It was the Romans who introduced black cats to Europe and it was there that they ran into some trouble. Around the 17th century people started associating them with witchcraft. Feared as shape-shifters, witches’ familiars and messengers of the devil, many were killed in the ridiculous belief that they were evil.
Carl and Gargoyle
Fortunately, we know better now. Sure they have crazy eyes that float around in the dark, but they look fantastic beside a pumpkin. And at least in my own case, having a black cat in the house feels really lucky.
Happy Halloween Everybody!