One of the oldest and most enduring superstitions, is that crossing paths with a black cat will bring on bad luck. Although black cats are typically associated with bad luck or Halloween, there’s so much more about these cute furry balls than the creepy stuff. In the next lines we have gathered for you some of the most fascinating facts about black cats.

1. Black Cats And Witches

The connection between black cats and witches started in Middle Ages. Many people thought that they were associated with Satan or that they were witches that had taken a different form. This wi resulted in the horrific mass killing of black cats—and sometimes even their human parents.

This fear of black cats still has some influence today. Many animal shelters won’t place black cats in homes during the month of October to avoid bad luck or for fear of them being used sacrificially.

2. Black Cats Can Bring Luck

On the other hand, black cats can amp up your good luck and improve your finances, too. Historically, sailors used to bring cats on the ships to hunt mice and keep them company. British sailors believed a black cat would also bring good luck to them and the ship.

For pirates, superstition about black cats is way more complicated, as they believed that a black cat walking toward you is bad luck, but a black cat walking away from you is good luck. And to take it one step further… if a cat boarded the ship and then jumped off, the ship was going to sink.

Scottish people believe that a black cat arriving at your doorstep signals prosperity, while in England and Ireland a black cat crossing your path signals good luck.

3. Black Cats Are More Resilient To Illnesses

According to researchers at the National Institutes of Health the genetic mutations that cause cats to have black coats may offer them some protection from illnesses. In fact, the mutations affect the same genes that offer HIV resistance to humans.

Since cats can experience many of the same health issues as humans do, including cancer, HIV and Alzheimer’s, they are perfect models for studying human disease. By finding out how cats managed to resist diseases, we could potentially learn how to prevent disease in humans as well.

4. Black Cat\’s Fur Can Change Color

It\’s possible, a black cat’s fur to change from solid black to a reddish-brown color. This is called “rusting”. There are several reasons this can happen.

• When a black cat spends a lot of time lounging outdoors, the sun can have a bleaching effect on the cat’s fur, turning it from jet black to reddish brown. Much like humans whose hair lightens from sunbathing.
• Another reason could be because of a nutritional deficiency. Cats require the amino acid tyrosine to produce eumelanin, which is the pigment that creates black fur. Luckily, this is an easy fix, as tyrosine is found in animal proteins such as meat and fish.

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