The rest of the article from yesterday’s 99 Cat Superstitions from around the world.
46. The cat’s purr, according to a quaint British superstition, is the whirring of a spinning wheel being spun by three cats of a princess.
47. In Japan, if you ever come across a cat with two tail, run for your life coz’ it is a vampire in disguise.
48. In Norway, Norwegian Forest Cats are considered to be fairies in disguise keeping tabs on the human world.
49. Old ugly cats are considered to bring good luck to the Chinese.
50. A cat with a black spot on its coat is in for some reverential treatment in Japan; it is believed to carry the soul of an ancestor.
51. A Buddhist cat superstition from the Orient states that dark-colored cats will bring their owners gold.
52. The Manx – a cat breed with a stub for its tail – lost its tail when the doors of the ark slammed shut on its tail.
53. Indonesians often cut off the tails of kittens and bury the cut tails under the door to stop the new pets from running away or straying too far from the house.
54. Pregnant women in old England dreaded falling asleep with a cat in their lap for the fear of giving birth to cat-faced baby.
55. In New England, cats with more than the usual number of toes are considered to bring good luck.
56. Tortoiseshell cats, considered lucky in many places, ran out of luck in Normandy, France. They were considered harbingers of death.
57. In Dutch Pennsylvania, a black cat placed in an empty cradle fulfills the married couple’s wish for kids.
58. Unmarried Abyssinian girls, (in modern day Ethiopia) who had pet cats were a prize catch for suitors.
59. The hunter-goddess Diana roamed or maybe still does roam the streets of Rome in the form of an alley-cat.
60. In the early days, American settlers considered the soup made from a black cat could cure tuberculosis.
61. The Norse goddess Freyja who symbolized love and fertility moved around in a cat-drawn chariot. Cats in Scandinavia had a good time so long as this belief kept going strong.
62. God didn’t create cats, Lions on Noah’s ark sneezed out a couple of them for rodent control onboard ship during the flood.
63. A guest in 16th century England was expected to plant a kiss on the family cat’s forehead.
64. The English put butter on the feet of their pet kittens in the mistaken belief that it will somehow prevent the little one from straying away from home.
65. Egyptian priests were “skilled” enough to predict events even from the twitching whiskers of a cat.
66. A cat looking to warm its back by the fireside portends frost or a storm.
67. In the France of days gone by, cats were considered to be endowed with treasure finding ability. Peasants would find an intersection where five roads met and let the cat loose.
68. Cats don’t always land on their feet but the myth and obvious witch connection persists and even today people toss cats from a height to test the veracity of this cat superstition.
69. In India there is a cat superstition that if you kill a cat, you can only atone by offering a gold cat to a member of the priestly class.
70. Also, amongst the Hindus of India the cat stood as a symbol of childbirth. Yet another association of cats with fecundity.
71. “Whenever the cat of the house is black, the lasses of lovers will have no lack.” – English Proverb.
72. A black cat or kitten as a wedding present to a couple in the English Midlands will earn you their gratitude.
73. In the south of France, black cats are called “matagots” or magicians and their owners are always mindful that they’ve got a specially endowed pet to take care of.
74. Theaters in England have their own pet cat and woe betide an actor who kicks it; he’s in for some serious bad luck.
75. Japanese sailors took three-colored or me’kay cats with them on their voyages in the belief that these felines brought them good luck.
76. Some dream-related cat superstitions. A ginger cat in the dream means you’re going to make money, a many-colored cat means friends, a tabby means peace at home, and a tortoiseshell will give you luck in love.
77. An unmarried belle in Southern France better not step on the tail of a cat or she can kiss goodbye to her chances of an early wedding for at least twelve months.
78. The Celts, who were one of the early settlers of England, believed that cats born in the month of May would bring trouble upon the family.
79. In the Ozark Mountains of America, young girls would take three cat hairs and discern a Y or N in their shape before saying yes or no to a suitor.
80. In England a belief persists that a black cat bought by paying money is not going to be an enthusiastic mouse catcher.
81. In Scotland, cats entering a room where a dead body was kept risked certain death.
82. Chasing black cats out of a house is a surefire way to bring bad luck upon its inhabitants.
83. Another one of the cat superstitions with a religious angle – the devil in his attempt to create man ended up creating the cat.
84. Cats walking out of the house of a sick man meant the poor guy’s time was up; unless of course the feline could be coaxed back into the house.
85. To run into a black cat at midnight is to run into Satan himself.
86. In medieval Europe, a farmer who killed a cat had to be prepared for unexplained deaths of his cattle.
87. The French won’t cross a stream carrying a black cat in their arms.
88. As in Japan, in Britain too tortoiseshell cats are considered lucky.
89. A black cat in a coal mine is nothing but bad luck.
90. At different times in human history, different parts from the cat’s anatomy have mistakenly been used to treat ailments.
91. Some cat Thai breeds that have a distinct kink in their tail apparently got it while guarding Buddha’s treasure. The loyal cats hooked their tails around the ornaments to give added security and thus the kinked tail.
92. A cat has 9 lives. For 3 he plays, for 3 he strays, and for the last 3 he stays. – English proverb.
93. In Latvia cats are considered a manifestation of the harvest god Rungis and often kept in grain storage silos where they feed on mice and grow fat.
94. Deities with a penchant for assuming the form of a cat every once in a while include Li Shou in China and Ai Apaec in Peru.
95. A black cat crossing your path in Japan is reason to feel good – they bring you luck.
96. In Southern United States, the belief still holds strong that if you drown a cat whether by design or accident you have the Devil to answer to.
97. The risk to cats on Halloween springs from the cat superstitious practice of sacrificing a cat on this day by the early pagan Celts.
98. The druids in ancient Europe believed that black cats were human beings punished for their bad deeds.
99. There are still some people that believe in a cat’s ability of astral travel.
