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there are several things that i'm curious about with black cats. certain legends/myths here in our country is told about them and im not sure whether its true or not.. i'd gladly want to know your opinions and knowledge on this.

1. is it true tha black cats have 9 lives?

2. if so, then why do they have 9 lives of all the domestic animals.. why not dogs are fishes?

3. are they really a bad omen? ( when yo crossed paths with a black cat, you shouldn't continue on your journey because a tragedy will happen)

cats having 9 lives is a figure of speech unless you watch tom and jerry.

so why it applies to cats and not dogs is beyond me. it's a figure of speech and holds NO TRUTH.

same thing with black cats being unlucky. MYTH. not REALITY. ((i really need to post something of value here)).

1) No - they have just one. sometimes that can be very short.

2) see above

3) No, they are not unlucky. in fact they are considered to be very lucky in England. Black cats are very much sought after. most black cats are really just dark brown, and a great many are almost black cats, but with just a small triangle of white. a true black cat is hard to find. black cats make excellent familliars, and very good pets. black cats are very loyal.

I suspect the 9 lives myth has a lot to do with a cat's ability to survive falls and accidents that we think should have killed them. It's actually just the way they are made but if you've ever seen a cat flip around mid-air and land on it's feet and walk away from a fall that would kill a dog or person you might think it had special tricks for survival.

WELL, I WAN TO KNOW WHAT COUNTRY IT IS WHERE CATS ARE CONSIDERED LUCKY.. I KNOW THAT CATS ARE LOYAL, BUT HERE IN OUR COUNTRY, BLACK CATS ARE AN EXCEPTION...WE HAVE A WEALTH OF MYTHS ABOUT DARK CREATURES AND THEY HAVE INVOLVED DARK CATS..

I GUESS ITS THE CULTURE OF THE PEOPLE HERE, BEING SO SUPERSITIONISTS..

No cats do not have 9 lives. They have one like any other being and should be treated with care and respect like any other animal. Black cats are cats. They are neither unlucky or lucky. They are companions and family for many people and any attempt to subscribe a paranormal or supernatural power to them will only make them the continued target for violence by the ignorant or being taken from their rightful owners for use in "magic ritual".

It is in extremely bad taste to continue myths about an animal that has received untold amounts of prejudice, violence and torture based on superstition and fiction. If you have the desire to own a black cat, it should be for no other reason than that you have the desire to have a loving and intelligent animal that needs care and attention.

illuminata and i are from the same country so i feel for her..

here in the philippines, it is told by elders that upon seeing black cats is an unwanted sign..

although there are no scientific proofs about that, society and culture here in our country says so..

How sad that an innocent animal be blamed for bad portents and suffer the violence of an ignorant society.

* sniff sniff.. tears*

I KNOW THAT CATS WERE WORSHIPPED IN ANCIENT EGYPT AND IT IS BEING LOVED BY PEOPLE...

I ACCEPT ALL OF YOUR OPINIONS AND REACTIONS TO THIS, I HAD JUST REALIZED THAT BELIEFS DIFFER ON CULTURE AND COUNTRIES...

punyeta.... we are not violent with cats neither with black cats... the treatment is just different like people are a bit scared of them... poeple who are violent with animals are being arrested here...

i never thought that having this belief makes us ignorant... *sniff sniff*... its no more different than people believing that BATS can turn to VAMPIRES...

To be honest, I do not believe that cats have 9 lives. If you hit one with a car you will be scraping it off of the road with a shovel. This would negate your second question. I am not sure how all of these myths got started, but even the Egyptians worshiped the cat.

i agree with you illuminata.. punyeta mga engot pala tong maga toh eh... hindi ba nila maintindihan yung definition ng violent.. hahah.. bobers..

The cats do not always land flat footed, I believe that sometimes they forget that they are cats and make attempts to 'break' their fall. It is then that they land on their sides and whatnot. I do know that a black cat with a white(ish) underside is more prone to feline lukemia.

9 Lives is strictly a reference to their ability to land on their feet and survive falls.

I believe it is also commonly believed that witches (were talking about those who aquire their abilities from demons) could also turn themselves into cats; as well as having them as familiars.

black cats seem to have 9 lives but they don't.. cat in general r the keepers of the dead... that is why some people r afraid of them.. they r not bad luck.

Well from my understandings all cats have 9 lives not just black ones.

And i think the bad omen thing is just a myth cause I have a black cat and nothing horrible has happened.

As many others have said all cats are said by myth to have 9 lives, not just black. It is likely derived from the reasons stated above. Their ability to fall from very high places, land on their feet and then walk away as if they had MEANT to fall.

We has a pure black cat when I was growing up. The only time I would feel unlucky from her "crossing my path" was when she would weave in and out between my feet as I was walking with her dish to feed her!

We are going to visit and hopefully adopt a black cat on Friday. The only bad luck I anticipate her bringing into the house is for our dog.

all superstition.

Hmm Im pretty sure black cats aren't special like the myths say.. i think all of it is false.. But hey i could be wrong i dont know. :)

I agree that it just seems like cats have 9 lives from the way they can fall and land on their feet and the way that seem to get into trouble and some how get them selves out of it with out being hurt much.

Black cats being bad luck is a myth one of the sweetest cats I know is a black cat once you start petting him he will not let you stop if he has his way.

superstitions abound. black cats are no more unlucky than turning a shoe over will stop a owl from sounding off in the daytime. or a hound baying on the doorstep means death is iminent. all superstition, with no basis in fact whatsoever.
The nine lives things I believe comes from the cats uncanny ability to survive things that would kill normal animals.Cats have lived through fires and tornadoes when other critters died.

All superstition. i personally LOVE a black cat.

Well I guess that all this depends on culture, witches would like to have one beacuse it is black and fits with that witch&blackcat stereotipe kind of picture, while others might say that the black cat is evil and misfortune just from the same reasons, black cats are connected with the certain stereotipes, so the tendency of the certain individual will decide to like black cats or not..... From all that sprang these other storys like nine lives, or spitt three times when you see a black cat, or if the black cat crosses your path than you are sure to die or such.... So I might likem, it depends if I feel my self aligned with the energy black cats are supoposed to have, or maybe they do, but it is long forgotten.... It is not impossible that a black cat can have really negative influence or nine lives, if combined with who knows what, or who knows what energy/influence, than maybe sure, these might be possible, all is corresponding to each other, just you need to find the right combination, maybe the combination is gone, beacuze the witches trade(genuine one) has been long forgotten....

I think It all depends in what you believe...also if you consider a black cat to be unlucky it could just be the fact that you have it in your head that they are and are subconciously causing bad things to happen because of one crossing your path.

Somethign strange, I have a black cat, but he has strange colored eyes almost blueish purple, and he has a sixth toe on each front paw, and he pays way too much attention to what im doing, and for some odd reason he like to sleep in my cauldron.

WOW HUH DAMN!!!LOL I really wish to see that cat, please take photo of it, and post it, I need to see that!! Sounds like a demon to me.....

The whole nine lives thing probably came from the fatc that they seem to be able ot escape bodily harm in an instant. They can land on their feet from a good height. They are agile and smart.
The blakc cats being bad luck superstition is un true. simple as that.tho there are some folk tales and stories that you'd prolly find interesting if you read up on this particular superstition.

no they do not have nine lives.
as far as black cats being bad luck it is superstition.

There's no way to know for sure if cats or anyone for that matter have several lives

I personally think the opposite of the myth.. I've had several true black cats through out my life.. and when one didn't come to me (all of my black cats.. showed up on my doorstep.. wanting to be with me.. I never once picked one... same with the other 3 cats I have too..) I have had bad luck *not* have a black cat...

As for weather or not they have 9 lives.. mmm.. no.. only one... as far as we know...
But recently on the news here where I live in the us.. some cat died on the operating table then came back right as the vet called it.. (the cat had gotten attacked by a dog.. very sad to hear..).. so.. maybe.. its not a matter of 9 lives as their will to live?

1) no
2) i do think its a legend or myth not real

it's all a matter of perspective and belief. Personally, no cat has nine lives. The only reason they are considered a "omen" is because a certain number of people have had a bad experience after crossing paths with them and all they can seem to blame it on is the black cat that they can last recall. the omen is a state of mind and the nine lives is only there from old legend concerning as such.

Superstition is not only very impractical and silly, but it is also dangerous. It has lead people to kill and chastise. And do other detrimental things throughout history.

As for the cats in particular; there is nothing special about cats. Their "nine lives" are just an observation people make, they are resilient creatures, but they have one life just like anything else. Black cats, I might add, are no different from tabby cats. Superstition is deeply psychologically rooted into people from a very young age, and is largely accepted as sane behavior. Where as I see it as a way to disassociate from reality and be completely and utterly naive, I think it is also quite a lazy way to explain what one cant understand.

1. No

2. See above

3. I have had all black cats and nothing bad has happened, so I can onlt conclude that that particular myth is not true. It is just superstition from when people feared what they could not explain, or they associated bad things happening whenever a black cat was near.

I like black cats, but the only flaw in them is that they are a endless dump factory, like everithing else, and that really kills the idea....

alixaryon:

That is why if you have a black cat, you keep it indoors

Why would you keep a dump factory indoors? lol I know I just love the smell of cat shit in my house but hey.....O.o

I have 6 cats . One being a black cat that I call my good luck charm. Seems she resonates to my personality more then the others. She certainly has a personality all her own .


In Britain and Australia black cats are considered lucky, and in some places white cats are correspondingly unlucky. In many parts of Europe and in the United States, however, it is the black cat who is ill-omened. In Britain tortoiseshell cats will bring their owners luck, and blue cats bring luck in Russia. An old saying about black cats is that 'Whenever the cat of the house is black, the lasses of lovers shall have no lack'. It was said that if the household cat sneezed near a bride on her wedding day, she would have a happy married life.

A great link for a bit of info :
http://www.geocities.com/topazcat11/cat_facts.htm

they have one life like all other animals and as for black cats being considered lucky here in australia thats the first time i have ever heard of it, everyone i know and even on australian tv shows they are considered unlucky

True...they are another cat like the rest but at the same time i also think that they posses something and mostly its bad

i've never believed in that myth of black cats when it crosses your path,

I also have a gorgeous dark chocolate brown colour, she's great, couldn't ask for a better cat :)

Black cats are not unlucky, as mentioned above the 9 lives is just a myth. I am in total agreement with KCRC ( he is my other half).
The myths of black cats have propigated mainly from them being considered a witches familiars.

Of course cats dont have nine lives because it dont take nine cars to squish one lol. I don't believe black cats are cursed that's just dumb to believe in my opinion. They need love too. I'm actually looking for a black cat to adopt.

i dont belive black cats are bad omens, and techincal they have 1 life i guess but my black otto i swear has 23 lives he jumps into sealing fans, when i cook i have to keep him up or he will try to jumo into the oven, and dose the stupedist stuff, but hes loved and the son of my familar

me and cats dont realy get on too well

The nine lives part Ithink is pure myth. Now as for bad luck NO. I have had 3 black cats and they never brought me bad luck in fact just the opposite. But if you believe they are going to give you bad luck then in your mind they will.

That's all a myth and black cat don't bring bad luck.

well how interesting this thread turned.....

I for one own (if anyone can own) a black cat, his name is Salem and he lives in my barn..... it could be said that he has nine lives, but that would not be in a literal sence.

He has only brought me good fortune, but I understand the superstition associated with turning from your path if it is crossed by a black cat.... my gandmother taught me this as well as others....

so I am not here to judge only to give account of my own personal experiecne

As many other people have stated 9 lives is a not true. and the cats been a symbol of bad things to come is a myth.

wasn't dick whittingtons cat supposed to be black? it was stupid superstition about cat's being witches familliars that almost destroyed britain. the black cat used to be the most common cat in britain, but because of the superstition, zealots and ignoramuses all but wiped them out. this lead to the rodent population getting totally out of control, and the granaries became overrun with flea ridden vermin - which spread bubonic plague. see what happens when you persecute an innocent creature?

1. I do not believe they actually have nine lives. It may purely be because of their ability to get out of most portentially-fatal situations (such as falling a particularly long distance).
2. This myth, for lack of better word, may have been created because cats are seen as very Divine creatures. They were said to be a link to the Gods/Goddesses and scare off negative spirits.
3. Because they were seen as Divine creatures, I don't believe they would be considered a BAD omen.

Cats go back inside History for many cultures. The Egyptians especially fascinate me with their beliefs. I just love cats... black, white, purple....... whatever comes along. I don't believe they have 9 lives... they just are very agile and seem to spring back from disasters easily. I don't believe bad luck or good luck can be manifested from a cat.

no they dont have 9 lives.......... and no they are not bad luck........old days the fish captains wives used to keep black cats to make sure there husbands made it home from sea safely............if a black cat crossed your path on your weddingday it ment you ere gonna have a long and prosperous marrage........ there just myths............ not true.........

Hello,

They get extremely lucky because of the abilitys they have, but no not bad luck. I have about nine black barn cats and it has never bewildered me at all...

Black cats are notorious for having bad luck THEMSELVES, as cats...

They are the last to be adopted.

Many shelters will have a protocol to anesthesize ALL black cats/kittens who have the misfortune to end up homeless due to the common misconception that the only people who want black cats are wanting to use it for black magick... OR as a sacrificial animal.

MINDLESS WITCH: your post is interesting about the unluckiness of black cats to theirselves... LOLS... it never occured to me that they are the last cat to be adopted in a pound or anestesized.. LOLS...

KARNSTEIN: i had read about the bubonic plague that happened in britain, but it was very interesting to know that superstitionists are the reason for it, by killling all the black cats there. thanks, i've learned something from you.

ALIXARYON: if you don't want your house to be scattered with cats poos, then maybe you would like to consider making a small cathouse for them in your barn... they'd love it.

1. unfortunatly no cats do not have 9 lives... i agree with many previous posts in that this myth came forth from their ways of falling without injury and their sly nature

2. dogs and fishes and such are not sly, they cant creep quietly much like the cat...they're just simply not as special lol

3. no they are not evil...this again more then likely comes from their slyness and the color black of course doesnt help with those who believe that darkness is the root of all evil

I am not too sure about cats having nine lives. That might be a myth or true but i am not willing to find out myself. As to your second third question I do not consider black cats to be bad omens. Actually I have a black cat and she has never brought me bad luck, only scratches and bites. I have crossed paths with many black cats and I yet await to see the bad luck hit me. So basically everything that is mentioned about cats is false!

I have had several, all of which just showed up, including Bast, the one i mentiond earlier. I personally think that they are good luck. Oh, i have some pics of her feet and stuff if i can find them, lol

Believe it or not, blame the Catholic church for the superstitions. The only reason for these superstitions was during the witch trials, since cats have been seen as being familiars to witches all around the world starting in Ancient Egypt. But in other words to the bad superstition of black cats, its all false, they are beautiful animals who, some of them, need just a good home to live, so if you find a black cat, bring it to a vet, and nurture it. blessed be.

1. No it's not true that they have 9 lives! That's just another of those faiy tale myths that make for good story telling

2. see #1

3. As for them being a bad omen, not true, but I believe that it can be at times! Only because the person that it happens to believes in it! By thinking it was real & could happen, someone would give it power over them & in a way will it to happen. Almost anything is possible if someone believes it enough.

Well said, indeed.

YEAH, I AGREE WITH YOU PHOENIX..

ITS THE CHURCH WHO PLANTED THIS TO OUR MINDS, MOST SPECIALLY THEIR DEEP GRUDGE TO WITCHES AND OTHER GOTHS...

true or false , the cats are very cutes!


+++deril+++

tabby cats are really cute! but the malnoiurushed ones with lots of scars on them should be brought to the vets

karstein,
I love that piece of information... do you have any evidence backing that claim?

black cats are beautiful
black cats are special
black cats need to be loved like any other creature

Yeah black cats are beautifull, especialy black ones, beacuse their rectal hole pont out extremly well in sucha black curcumstances:D

Black cats do not have 9 lives(in my opinion) and they don't have any bad omen...
I mean it's all a myth but if you will believe in it-it will happen to you,cuz you will do it to yourself...lol...I love cats,black cats are ofcourse the sweetest and I don't think anyone should fall to that bull shit:-)

Black cats got a raw deal. They are not a bad omen. They do not have 9 lives. The 9 lives tale comes from the fact that cats are lucky animals in general. They seem to cheat death a lot! I've never thought twice about walking under a ladder, nor having a black cat cross my path! I have a lot of cats, and have always had a black cat. They are no different than white ones, except they are more difficult to see at night! Also, I think that people who have negative things to say about black cats, or any cats for that matter may beware of bad consequences...=^^=

Well cats might ahve been regarded as have nine lives because of their ability to fall from such tall heights and land on their feet unharmed. This is speculation of course.

Black cats have been regared hgihly in many ancient and modern religions. Really the most known is that cats were regarded as manifestations of the egyption goddess Bast. Who stood for numerous things such as fertility, the moon, and protection of all cats. Which I guess you can consider a black cat more lucky than unlucky. I have one of my own and she's brought me nothing but luck =^.^=

I do not believe that any cat has nine lives. Nore do I believe that black cats are unlucky. I believe they bring a watch over a person. I have owned 3 cats in my life 2 black one calico. For some reason the black cats felt more safe more like they were there to protect you from the bad things. The whole 9 lives and black cat thing to me is nothing but a superstion.

i do not think cats have 9 lives....and i think that it is more superstitious for the bad luck...i actually find them good luck...

i think it is a myth and that no cat has 9 lives...lol well maybe mine...but she is just evil...

i think blackcats can bring you luck....

I agree with the last 2 they can bring you luck but it is all how you look at them in your head. I think the same with crows. SOme people say they are dirty nasty birds. me personaly Believe they are soul watchers and they are here to protect out souls. But that is just me we all have oppions and beliefes. I do not thing back cats in any ways are evil, or bad luck.

unfortunately in Louisiana, black cats are considered lucky...or at least, part of them is...
A 1946 account from New Orleans said that the mojo was "the leg bone of a black cat that's been killed in a graveyard at midnight."
If your mojo is working, you lead a charmed life. That's because mojo, in its original sense, is a charm, kept in a cloth bag.

I can't imagine doing this, but some people believe this.

I've even heard that you can get the mojo bone from a black cat by boiling the cat untill the flesh seperates from the bone. Then you take the pot of boiled black cat and pour it into a creek or river and the one bone that floats upstream is the mojo bone.

well im glad on how this thread turned out because i learned a lot from it.

i just hope that the people here won't judge me based on what i wrote because it is what the people here in our country believes. anyway, its one of the bedt things i had learned here.. that beliefs differ based on culture...

thanks for all the responses

I have a black cat. Honestly I feel she is probably the most intelligent creature I've had around. She follows me around with whatever I do even if I am walking thru the woods collecting things like she is interested in everything I do. Just even the look in her eyes is more intelligent than most other animals. I've seen other black cats and have noticed this in quite a few of them...

9 lives....just a figure of speech...applies to all felines as far as I know.

Not sure why only to cats. Would have to rename the cat food otherwise. hehe

I had a beautiful black cat named Shadow. You can find a pic of her in my portfolio. She was a great companion and loyal. I never had any Bad Luck by her.

We just adopted a black kitten a week ago.

She is a little scamp at this time. Right now it is VERY bad luck if she crosses you path, as that means she is going to weave in and around your feet as you attempt to walk!

Also, her mother was grey. My hair and beard are grey....Thus she believse my head is her mother! This leads to the kitten pearching on and around mt head while I sit and wathc TV, and when I sleep. I can't consider this GOOD luck!

All kidding aside, even though I do not consider myself a "cat person", I am getting so much enjoyment from this little bunddle of energy, that I can'y imagine anyone seeing bad luck or evil in her.

where i live on friday the 13th and halloween they want to stop the adoptions of black cats on those day so there not tortured or whatever else they might think happen to them

I have always owned black cats. The only reason it I think they are beautiful... They do not have 9 lives.. They are just as fragile as the others.... I cross paths with them every day and no harm as ever come to be. Actually I think they bring me good luck.. If it were not for my one black kitty I would not have found one of my dearest and oldest friends...... I'd be interested to know where the legend came from.....

Black cats do not have 7 or 9 lives, it is just a figure of speech.. Maybe in your country your myths are talking about cats which were familiars...

Familiars tend to live longer and only cats, frogs and rarely owls are familiars... No dogs, no squirrels, no any other creature...

They are connected to bad luck for some but this is really idiotic.. Black cats aren't to blame if you are not careful..

If the myths are about familiars which were connected to witches who practised black magic then i can understand why people are so afraid of them......

It's a shame black cats get this tag of being Unlucky. I have a black cat and he is the sweet feline you'll ever meet.

And I have to agree that the nine lives reference is most likely to their abilities to land on there feet and speed at avoiding cars etc.

In England black cats are considered lucky. I had a black cat. . . . I loved him to death, but he had to leave me.

The nine lives thing is solid MYTH.

And why cats and not another animal? Beats me, just another piece to the originating story I'm sure.

i do not think black cats have 9 lives, nor do i think they are bad luck. i have a lil black cat and he is nothing but good luck for me :)

Black cats neither have nine lives nor are they unlucky. All cats seem to have a knack for getting into spots that most people would think should kill them so that is why it is said that cats not only black have nine lives. For the most part it is myths about witches and magic that make black cats the bad guy mostly from tv not from reality

All of them or myths black cats are just that black they are not unlucky..Unless you believe them to be in that case they can be but its a seed planted from a lot of stupidity on the church and old wise tales.

In addition to the link for Wikipedia that was posted, let's not forget http://cats.about.com/cs/catmanagement101/a/blackcatmonth.htm which is in regards to the mistreatment of black cats during October.

These poor animals are adopted (and occasionally stolen) to be mutilated by misguided youths who think this is part of Satanism - or just because they like to abuse animals. They are adopted to be part of the decor or costume.

(I really hope the link works. If it doesn't, message me)

ok well I have seen cats that should have died several times over I am not sure why they didnt... so that might be why peoplesay theyhave 9 lives.... as far as being bad luck my mom always said when a black cat crosses your path you sould draw a x in the air or on something on your left side to prevent bac luck... not sure if they do or not though

I don't believe that cats have 9 lives...so there is 1 and 2 for you *smiles*
As for the bad luck..I have never nor will I ever see a black cat as causing bad luck. Most superstition is in the eye of the beholder, and since I view cats to be the most awesome breed to walk on this earth I have to say that they are not unlucky at all..of course this is all MY personal opinion.

between our quats and the strays who eat and crash..we have 6 black cats..i dont think they are bad luck. cats recuperate when most creatures wouldnt , i think thats where the 9 lives thing came from.

cats dont have 9 lives unless they are very lucky but heres something i've heard about the number 9: cats sleep for 7 years and the other 2 they are awake. dont know how that works.
as for the bad luck thing, i've had a black cat cross my path many of times but for me nothing but good luck comes out of it. bad luck is just something that is all made up in your head. more of a figure of speech.

It was bad luck for my black cat that he got ran over. Poor Odin..RIP. One life, not nine.. I guess this answers the question? ;)

The rumor or myth about cats having nine lives is just that a rumor or myth. And I don't believe that black cats are unlucky if they cross your path. It may be ublucky for them if your in your car. lol

i dont think cats really have 9 lives, they should with some of the things they do. for black cats i never had a problem i have owned a few over my years. i think its all superstition. but then again they say if you truly believe in something it may come true. who knows.

you I belive that bad luck is just something yo belive. I tend t bring my on on me when I have a bad aroura

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