Everyone knows that when a black cat crosses your path, it’s considered bad luck, but why? Is it simply the color of their coat, or something more sinister? Thousands of years ago, cats of all colors enjoyed the good life in ancient Egypt, where killing a cat came with a swift death sentence. A few millennia later, pagan customs and traditions were being overthrown by Christianity, which was spreading through Europe. This included vilifying anything related to the pagan religion, such as the cat, which was considered to be a symbol of witchcraft. In 133, Pope Gregory IX declared black cats to be an incarnation of the devil himself. Over the next few centuries, the idea that black cats were in the league with the devil led to a link between black cats and witches. By the time the famous Salem witch trials took place in the 17th century, simply owning a black cat was enough to get a witch condemned to death. The black cat superstition lingers to this day, and the only one that it brings bad luck to is the black cats themselves. According to the SPCA, black cats are admitted to shelters and rescues more than any other color. Ironically, they're actually adopted more, primarily because people feel sorry for them that they’ve been saddled with superstition and prevented from enjoying a forever home.
