Are black cats bad luck?

Being an owner of an all-black cat, I personally don’t believe the hype and superstition behind their color. Part of this superstition may have started as early as King Charles I of England, who adored his black cat so much so that he had it under protection and tight guard. When it died, King Charles was coincidentally arrested the following day, and the superstition of bad luck may have started after that. Compounded by that, old folk lore states that fishermen’s wives used to keep black cats at home to keep their men safe at sea, so black cats were often stolen owing to their coveted value. Sailors believed that if a black cat approached you on the boat, it was good luck, but if a black cat approached you and turned away, you were doomed to bad luck. Legend also had it that witches could transform into black cats, causing people to fear them. That said, should we fear black cats in modern day?

As a veterinarian, I personally feel that orange and white tabby males rank first for friendliness, followed by black males coming in as a close second. Calicos come in last for friendliness (see “Why are orange tabbies almost always male while calicos and tortoiseshells always female?” in this chapter), at least at the veterinary clinic, with gray long-haired cats being the most shy. Of course, I don’t have the scientific data to prove it (there is none!), but in my biased opinion, black is beautiful, after all.



Photo from dalla on Flicker

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