- The one who stops a cat from singing, will lose in their next venture.
- If a tortoise-shell cat comes to you, it is a sure sign that you are going to get money.
- Never cut a cat's whiskers. It cannot feel out any more good luck for you till they grow out again.
- If you want your pet cat to stay at home, measure its tail with a piece of wood and burn it in the oven, and it will never leave you. (Persia.)
- To kick a cat, will make it steal chickens. (Madagascar.)
- A cat about to kitten, must not be spoken of by its name, but called a witch. (Madagascar.)
- It is unlucky, on the island of Guernsey, to thank a person for giving you a cat or kitten.
- Cats are believed, in Ireland, to have a king and hold parliaments of their own.
- A black cat drops dead at the sight of a Bengal tiger; a cat of any other color is not affected in the least.
* * *
I suppose you should be careful how you misuse your Bengal tiger if you have one lying around!
Cora Linn
(Morrison) Daniels, ed. Encyclopedia of
superstitions, folklore, and the occult sciences of the world; a comprehensive
library of human belief and practice in the mysteries of life, v. 2
(Chicago and Milwaukee: J. H. Yewdale & Sons, 1903), pp. 591-98 passim.
2 comments:
Poor black cats. In Poland many people seriously believe that if their path is crossed by a black cat, bad luck will happen to them (people, not cats). But we also have a beautiful poem explaining that if a black cat crosses your path, it simply means that the cat is in hurry. I, for myself, have two black cats and I think I am very lucky :)
Joanna
Hi Joanna, I should make a point of posting some of the GOOD superstitions about black cats. There are (were?) actually quite a few out there!
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