As St. Patrick’s Day draws near, we’d all like to have “the luck of the Irish”!
Do cats bring their humans good luck? We have the “scoop” on this, from around the world!
North America and Europe:
- It is believed that white cats are lucky. To meet one and have it cross your path means good fortune is coming to you, at least if you greet the kitty politely and stroke her three times. It is considered bad luck if a black cat crosses your path.
- A cat with three different hues in its coat will protect one against fire and fever.
In Britain and Australia: The belief is the complete opposite: It is the BLACK cats that are lucky and the WHITE cats that are not! - A cat washing its ears is a sign of rain.
- A cat running around like maniac means a storm is on the way.
- In the theatre, a black cat in the audience on opening night signifies a successful play.
- A sign that your neighbor is gossiping about you is when her cat pays a call and sits around, listening to your conversation.
- An old belief is that on every pure black cat, there is a single white hair, and if you can find it and pull it out (without being scratched), it will bring you good luck as long as you keep it safe.
- If a cat sneezes near the bride on her wedding day, she will have a happy marriage.
- If you are setting out on a journey and hear a cat crying, find what she wants before you leave or you will have bad luck on your trip.
- In tasseography, if you see a cat in your tea cup, it signifies false friends and deceit.
- A Celtic belief was that kittens born in May are badly-behaved.
- In Germany, if a sick man sees two cats fighting, it means his death is near.
- In Wales, it is believed that those who feed cats well will have sun on their wedding day.
- A Manx cat is considered the luckiest cat to have aboard ship, because cats were supposed to raise storms with their tails. But with Manxes, having no tails meant fair sailing weather.
- A French superstition is that if you tie a cat to a spot where five roads meet, then let it go, the cat will lead you to buried treasure.
- Also,in France, if a girl accidentally treads on the tail of a cat, it will take her an extra year to find a husband.
- Norse superstition is that the goddess of love and beauty, Freya, travelled stylishly in a chariot pulled by a pair of grey cats. To insure a good harvest, farmers would place a bowl of milk in the cornfields for Freya’s cats.
Far East:
- In Indonesia and Malaysia, it is believed that washing your cat will bring rain.
- The Chinese say a cat’s nose is always cold, but on the summer solstice, June 21, the cat’s nose becomes warm for one day.
- An old Chinese belief is that a light-haired cat will bring it’s human silver, a dark-haired cat will bring it’s human gold.
Do you know any tidbits about luck and cats? Let us know!
CatBlogger
