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

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

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 …

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Halloween video: fun and entertaining or abusive and objectionable?

Fun or abusive?

Halloween is sadly upon us 😒😎. This holiday season does lead to some cat abuse because of the link between black cats and Halloween. It is an unpleasant association at heart because it harks back to Medieval times and the chronic and widespread abuse of domestic cats for hundreds of years. Black cats are …

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

Bakeneko cat with a long tail split into two

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 …

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Cat superstitions – educate to suppress them

Black cat superstition in Kenya leads to cat cruelty

Cat superstitions still exist big time. They are considered to be a part of history but this is simply untrue. Nowadays superstitions surrounding the cat are tied up with a lack of knowledge of the cat and, frankly, sometimes distrust and dislike of the cat, just as was the case in medieval Europe. Education …

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When did black cats become bad luck?

Medieval cat butt licking

It is probable that black cat became bad luck during the Middle Ages thanks to Christianity. The fear that all black cats are agents of the devil led to the common superstition which has survived to the present day namely that if a black cat crosses your path, it will bring you bad luck. …

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

Black cat superstition in Kenya leads to cat cruelty

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 …

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Philippines and cat superstitions

Black cat crossing person's path

Filipinos are a superstitious race. Superstitious beliefs play an important role in their decision making according to my research. The Philippines is still considered a developing country. Is it fair to say that the citizens of developing countries tend to be more superstitious that those of developed countries? Perhaps but the Philippines has an …

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