Owning a Black Cat

People disagree about this very much. It depends on the culture, the region and even the individual person as to if black cats are lucky or unlucky. In the end, only you can decide to call a black cat, lucky, unlucky or just another cat. But here are both points.

Black cats are unlucky.

In Western history black cats became synonymous with being witch familiars. In folklore, black cats were also able to transform into a human shape to report back to witches and demons. Gamblers, and through most of Europe and the United States a black cat crossing your path means bad luck. In China, black cats are believed to be the signs of famine and poverty. And the bad luck carries to the cat as well, because of his or her inky color, they have a lower adoption rate.

Black cats are lucky

In Japan and the United Kingdom a black cat crossing your path means good fortune is coming. Latvian farmers believe black cats to be the spirit of Rungis, a god of harvests. A strange black cat arriving at your home in Scotland means prosperity. The wives of fishermen keep black cats indoors to help keep their men safe while at sea. The British believe owning a black cat is lucky. For me, Salem is my second black cat, I consider myself twice blessed.

Years ago I owned a tiny black cat named Pandora. She was a blessing I needed, and when my neighbor reported her dead in his yard, it devastated me. While there could never be another Pandora, there could be another black cat. The best way to find another was ask around, so I did.

The youth group and the cat

At that time I was a volunteer youth minister. Various teenagers were at the house at various times so they were used to Pandora and were upset at her loss. Eventually a mom of one of the youth found two barn cats, she decided to keep one and give me the black one. Since he was part of the youth group, we voted on his name. With many of them fans of Sabrina, Salem Saberhagen; the name of the warlock turned black cat, was chosen.

Does the name suit him?

He is not like that Salem, but the name suits him. He does not plot world domination, but he pretends to be mad quite often. Thus his other name is Mr. Grump. The humorous thing to me is his obsession with the bathroom water bowl. He wants it full. He sits with it. He stares into it. If it is empty or dirty he will stare endlessly at you. If you refill it he comes running in, so he can check it, then stare into it.

Click the image and you can go directly to see Sabrina and Salem.

Salem has been with me for over 10 years. His personality is what sets him apart from the previous cats I have owned and Lilo the other cat I currently have. Salem is quiet. He purrs almost silently. He pretends to be grumpy, but Lilo pretends to be scared. He is different but that is related to him being him not his color.

The two color related differences

Often times my camera or phone turns Salem into an inky black blob when he's inside the house. It takes bright lights to get a good picture of him, but then as the intro says, he hates his picture being taken. The other difference is Halloween. Up until two years ago he could go out whenever he wanted, except Halloween. I kept him in during Halloween, to prevent pranksters and other people from deciding to capture a black cat for Halloween tricks.