Santo Domingo.- Cats have always been related to human beings throughout history. In Egypt they were venerated three thousand years ago, and the person who harmed them was punished even with death.
However, during the Middle Ages their situation began to change in a negative way and, henceforth, they would be seen as “beings linked to evil”, as the superstitious think.
But why do many people link black cats with witchcraft?
During the period of the Middle Ages (between the 5th and 15th centuries) a process began in Europe whereby thousands of women, mainly elderly women, were murdered for their alleged connection with witchcraft.
This period was called “Witch Hunts”. Many elderly women who lived alone regularly had cats in their homes, many of which were black, since that type of breed was more common in some European countries.
That caused those who persecuted the alleged witches to associate black cats with the practice of sorcery, according to some researchers.
It was, and still is, believed that many old women had powers to turn into cats, which “enabled them to do bad things against defenseless people, including children.”
Many women are attracted to black cats, and it has nothing to do with witchcraft, but with the softness of their fur.
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Even one of King Solomon’s mistresses, known as the Queen of Sheba (present-day Ethiopia), had a black cat with which she played.
The superstition about black cats was later transferred to the United States by the mass emigration of people from various European nations.
Other beliefs, such as the legend of Dracula, were instilled in the United States by the arrival of thousands of Romanians in that nation.
