Cat Superstitions

Black cat in a mosque

Are black cats haram?

The question in the title concerns Muslims and the word ‘haram’ means forbidden. The question, therefore, is asking whether a Muslim can be the owner and caregiver of a black cat as per the rules of the Quran. And the answer is yes, Muslims can own black cats and live with them because a black …

Are black cats haram? Read More »

Indonesia cat superstition

Indonesia – cat superstition

This is a continuation of cat superstitions around the world. I am pleasantly surprised to discover only one cat superstition in Indonesia although they have many. It is labelled as “Pamali” according to a contributor to the Quora.com website. Pamali is also an Indonesian folklore horror game! And this helpful Indonesian woman lists many superstitions …

Indonesia – cat superstition Read More »

Konrad von Marburg started the ant-black cat campaign in 1232

Does black cat superstition come from Pope Gregory IX’s papal bull Vox in Rama?

Why do black cats have a reputation for evil? It appears that an overzealous and cruel German priest and nobleman, Konrad von Marburg kick started the superstitious link between black cats and Satan in 1232. The conventional view is that Pope Gregory IX “initiated the feline Holocaust in Europe” by denouncing the black cat as …

Does black cat superstition come from Pope Gregory IX’s papal bull Vox in Rama? Read More »

Bakeneko cat with a long tail split into two

Japanese folk-myth ‘bakeneko’ – reason why Japanese Bobtail is popular in Japan

Dr. Desmond Morris makes an interesting statement in his book Cat World. He writes about the Japanese Bobtail and says that the popularity of this short-tailed cat in Japan is partly due to the fact that there is a Japanese folk myth called a ‘bakeneko’ which warns that long-tailed cats can change into human form …

Japanese folk-myth ‘bakeneko’ – reason why Japanese Bobtail is popular in Japan Read More »

Black cat superstition in Kenya leads to cat cruelty

Across Kenya and East Africa many people still believe domestic and stray cats are evil

COMMENT: Sadly, due to a lack of education, many people in Kenya, especially along the Indian Ocean coast, still believe, hundreds of years after cats were persecuted during the Middle Ages, that domestic and stray cats are evil. As the spaying and neutering of cats in Kenya is probably rare, they procreate which doesn’t help. …

Across Kenya and East Africa many people still believe domestic and stray cats are evil Read More »

Manten Kucing rain making ritual of East Java

2 cats used in ‘Manten kucing’ rain making ritual of East Java

Everything on the internet about the Manten kucing rain making ritual is in Indonesian. This is the first page on the topic in English! 🙂 The problem: Google translate is not that good. It is difficult to understand the ritual from poorly translated Indonesian but here goes. From what I can glean from these rather …

2 cats used in ‘Manten kucing’ rain making ritual of East Java Read More »


Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.
Scroll to Top