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Loved and respected as gods, feared and hated as demons. Black cats had over the centuries a troubled life and even today they are not highly regarded by everybody. Sacred to Isis in the ancient Egypt – in case of fire or other emergency that forced to leave the house, according to law and the punishment should have been death, cats had to be saved before the family members or objects – even in ancient Rome they were considered of good fortune and when they died, they were cremated, the ashes were spread on the fields to encourage harvest and remove weeds.
It is in the Middle Ages that black cats became enemies to be destroyed, burned at the stake along with the alleged witches (it was forbidden even to feed them). But in Europe there are also positive examples: from the South of France and even known in England, the ancient legend of Matagot tells about a spirit that takes the form of a stray black cat. Matagot wandered in search of a master and it could bring a big fortune but it had to be treated very well: it was necessary to offer the cat roasted chicken and let it into the house; then, to get gold coins every morning they had just to give to Matagot, in every meal, the first bite of food taken from the same dish of the master. In Ireland instead, the black cat is associated to magic and to Yule log.
Apart from the positive and negative values of the color – there are abundant treaties – and the historical background, black is probably connected to a pestiferous DNA: those who have, or had, black cats can not confirm that. Or maybe the persecution meant that the black cat develops a special character.
Just to give a couple of examples, when you have finished your energies for a while, black cat has just started its; in it, the typical demonstrations of feline annoyance reach their maximum power: taking him in our arms it will perform scenes like “paw on the nose human-shooing” or “I pretend indifference while studying escape routes”. Nobody knows how to perform the famous imitation of the slicer like it (check, it has always sharper nails than other color cats).
Curious then its marked tendency to mimicry: regardless of size, for the rest – one of many – it prefers sweaters, bags, gloves, confetti or any black object. Put it to the test. And if “at night all cats are grey” for blacky is recommended a phosphorescent collar anti-tripping…
For historical information: www.eleonorapiraino.it and www.felis-files.it
Unless otherwise specified, the pictures are taken (under permission) from the galleries of Facebook groups dedicated to cats. If you know the authors please let us know.
