In some stories, cats are associated with bad or good luck, and in others they’re associated with evil, witches, or dark magic, especially black cats.
Norwegian Forest Cat And The Fairy/Goblin World
People from certain cultures believed that these cats were actually goblins or fairies in disguise because of their incredible appearance.
Imagine Being A Cat’s Christmas Dinner…
The legend talks about how the people of Iceland were afraid of the fierce Yule cat, Jólakötturinn, who wandered around the countryside during the Christmas period, looking for people to eat.
Cats Stealing The Souls Of The Dead
In ancient Scottish and Irish folklore, it was believed that a huge black cat with a white mark on its chest wandered at night looking for souls to steal. The cat was called the Cat Sith.
The most famous story is about the maneki-neko, also called the “beckoning cat”. It’s believed that these cats bring good luck to their owners, especially when it comes to money.
Cats Working For The Devil
It’s believed that black cats would ride on a broom along with a witch, or that they could infect you with tuberculosis if you breathe their breath. It was even said that a cat bite was poisonous.
Cats Leaving Marks On Unborn Babies
For example, in Portugal, it was believed that a feline is able to afflict the baby by leaving a mark in the form of a hairy mole.
Another belief about cats comes from Buddhism where they say that if you’re holy enough, after your death, your soul will transfer to a cat.
Cats Predicting The Weather
Moreover, some people say that if a cat sleeps with her paws tucked underneath her, that cold weather is coming.
There are a lot of superstitions relating to cats. Cat legends are still told even nowadays, even if modern people don’t believe in these tales as people used to.