Feline
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LINKS

History of the American Shorthair
http://home.earthlink.net/~felicitykits/hist.html

Cat Animals, the Felidae
http://www.algonet.se/~felidae/species.htm

"Black Cat Myth"

... Why Does the Black Cat Get Such a Bad Rap ?

By Karen Commings

Black cats. They conjure up images of witchcraft, magic, and even satanism. Edgar Allan Poe wrote about one. Hollywood has made movies about them. And a TV sitcom, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, boasts a "talking" black cat.

In October, we see black cats everywhere: in gift shops, department stores, and grocery stores. There are black cat costumes, black cat decorations, and black cat candy. But how did this creature who embodies the same qualities other cats do (friendship, tranquility, comfort, and love) come to be associated with evil?

Many a black cat was tossed into the fire.

One of the earliest associations of black cats with evil comes from ancient Babylonian and Hebrew mythologies. These myths likened the black cat, coiled in a circle as it dozes on the hearth (however peacefully and innocently), to a serpent, which symbolized evil.

During the Middle Ages, the black cat was implicated in many beliefs and superstitions. The Germans believed that if a black cat jumped on the bed of a sick person, it meant death was approaching. The Normans believed that if a black cat crossed your path in the moonlight, you would die from an epidemic. In Finland, black cats were thought to carry the souls of the dead to the other world. In China, the presence of a black cat foretold sickness and poverty.

The stories took a slightly different turn in other places. In India, a reincarnated soul could be liberated by throwing a black cat into a furnace. One Bengali folktale had it that some women had the power to change their souls into black cats, and that any harm brought to the cat would be suffered by the women. The Celts thought black cats were reincarnated beings who were able to divine the future. And the druids of ancient Britain believed that humans who performed evil acts would be reincarnated as black cats as a punishment. Blame the druids for the association of cats with Halloween, ghosts, and witches.

The 13th and 14th centuries saw increased opposition to witches and others who were believed to practice sorcery. Most of those targeted by witch-hunts were women. When they were tied to a stake and set aflame, many a black cat was tossed into the fire with them.

Witches in disguise

Other folkloric beliefs were that witches were able to shape-shift into black cats, although no reliable witnesses recount the witch-to-cat or cat-to-witch transformations. There are accounts of people harming a black cat and later finding wounds on a village woman that matched the cat's injury.

Another popular belief was that witches had animal accomplices, called familiars, that helped them complete their evil deeds. The familiars were often black cats who gained strength by ingesting the blood of their supernatural humans. Familiars were thought to accompany witches on their broomsticks to wreak havoc on the innocent.

Accept these tales with a grain of candy corn. Black cat owners know the truth. "All of our black cats are lively, active, and affectionate," says Cindy Ward, whose black cats inspired her to write the children's book, "Cookie's Week," about a week in the life of a mischievous cat. "They certainly brought me good luck."

Read about my own Black Cats !

Cat Age Chart

Use this handy chart for quickly finding your cat's age in human years.
It will help you understand the changes your cat encounters as she ages.

Cat's Age in Human Years:

Feline	Human
1	15
2	24
3	28
4	32
5	36
6	40
7	44
8	48
9	52
10	56
11	60
12	64
13	68
14	72
15	76
16	80
17	84
18	88
19	92
20	96
21	100