As many might know, we share our home with Son No. 1 (a Ph.D. candidate working furiously on his dissertation) and his cat Hercules. Hercules came to us a little more than a year ago, a tiny ball of black fur.
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| Hercules about 12 weeks. I don't think he can fit on that table these days. |
By the time he'd reached a year, he was about 15 pounds of mischief who evidenced no signs of maturing.
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| Look at him, sleeping like a baby on the futon in my office while I type away. |
According to this blog on Historic Mysteries: "People believed that witches and black cats worked together. Supposedly, the devil sent the black cat to assist in the witch's evil deeds. Additionally, witches were able to turn themselves into black cats so that they could slink around in the shadows casting spells on unsuspecting people."
Okay, Hercules does slink about, but it's usually to catch an unsuspecting piece of fuzz floating around.
But it's not all bad news for Hercules and his black-furred friends. According to this article by Alison Yates on the website Ancient Superstitions, black cats especially are seen as good omens in Britain and Ireland, bringing good luck. Yates says that black cats are also revered today by those who practice the Wiccan religion and their owners considered lucky. (Now if only Hercules would send some of that good luck our way....)
So if a black cat happens to cross your path while you're out trick-or-treating, fear not! He probably just wants to join the fun. Maybe he'll even guarantee and extra yummy candy haul.
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20 comments:
Interesting reading, Leah. Hercules sure is a character. In a good way. My husband started feeding a black cat that wandered onto our deck. We live at the end of a country road, This one seemed hungry ALL the time. He soon discovered there were two, identical, and belonged to a neighbor. The two still come down to hang out with him when he's outside. Good luck, huh. I'll have to recite that verse to them!
I thought that verse was clever, too, Margo! And how fun that the black cats pulled the twin prank. :-)
An enjoyable post, Leah. Did you know that black dogs are the hardest to find homes for? Maybe the same reason as black cats. We had 2 black dogs. Both were faithful companions. One was so stubborn (part Lab) that when he took up residence in our bed, we had to use water pistols, too, to get him off. Love the video. DIL's Great Dane did the same to the TV if he saw another dog. If the dog ran off screen to the right, he'd jump right and try to find it. He scratched up their TV stand so badly they had to get rid of it. When they lived with us, we put Toddler Girl's table in front of the TV to keep him back. We never had dogs that watched TV and recognized other animals.
I had heard that about dogs and cats, Diane. In fact, my son purposely looked for a black cat from the shelters for that reason. I've read some articles that it's because the percentages of intakes for the black dogs and cats are higher, so there are more to be left behind. Why the intakes are higher though...that's an interesting question! Your DIL's Great Dane sounds like a hoot. He'd be fun to incorporate in your stories!
We owned two black cats, one growing to giant proportions, the other remaining kitten-sized his whole life. The small one followed me around like a dog would...I named him Garp (as in The World According to...). Both were wonderful pets. For now, we are pet less because we travel so much. I feed the birds; bunnies and gophers, moles, raccoons and possums love living in our yard as well :-)... and when we leave on a junket, they all fend for themselves nicely.
How cute, Rolynn -- your own Mutt & Jeff! Hercules follows us around, too. He hates being alone, but at the same time he's not a cuddler. Maybe he'll grow into it some day. When my son eventually moves on to his own home and takes Hercules with him, I know I'll miss him, but I don't think we'll get another pet. We're used to that freedom now. Your neighborhood critters sound adorable!
Great post. Never had an issue with unlucky black cats. We've had 3 over the years: Agate, Ebony, and Panther. Ebony was a hunter. Brought us grotesque gifts like a squirrel eyeball. Panther ruled our two dogs.
Thanks for stopping by, Diane. I love your cats' names! A squirrel eyeball, huh? I'm picturing it...ewwwwww. :-)
Great post and I laughed at the video. Put a helmet on that cat. Looks like he's already wearing the pads. He's so cute.
Thanks, Vonnie. :-) He us a bruiser!
I love black cats! I had a 15-lb., long-haired black kitty for 19 years. He was a strong-willed, unique character, and we still tell stories about him even though he's been gone for more than 20 years.
We had several cats when I was a kid, but never an all black one. Since reaching adulthood, I've only had dogs. They've all been black, though! Cats become coyote chow pretty quickly in our neighborhood if they aren't kept indoors 100% of the time. Hercules certainly has grown!
It's so cool how our pets have their own personalities, Alison. And wow, that's a long time to have a cat. He must have been fun! I got a cat when I was 18, an orange tabby named Peaches, and she lived to be 18, well after I married, after I had both kids. I remember telling my husband, "Love me, love my cat." They never quite took to each other. :-)
That's awful, Jannine! Ugh! I guess that's nature though, right? Survival of the fittest and all that. Hercules is an indoor cat. We live right next to a highway ramp, buffered by a wooded area. Although there is a fence, I don't think it would be much of a challenge for Hercules!
I also keep a spray bottle of water handy to use on my dogs. I've a couple of young males (one's almost a year and the other is about a year and a half) that fight like brothers at the drop of a hat.The last incident occurred when they were sleeping on the couch and one's paw accidently touched the other's leg. It's not really hostile but involves a lot of growling and wrestling which is not permitted inside.
Gotta love those furbabies.
Enjoyed your post. We have a black cat who is probably one of the most affectionate cats we've ever owned. But his favorite past time is shoving things off the table or wherever he decides to perch. He lives to perch high and sleeps mostly in his cat tower. His name is Zombie! While doing research on black cats in history, I learned that during the days of the witch hunts, if a black cat had at least a tiny bit of white on it, it wouldn't be killed. I told Zombie his tiny white tuft on his chest would have been his salvation.
How funny, Robin. They sound just like kids! Yes, gotta love 'em. :-)
Thanks for stopping by, Lucy! Zombie sounds like a hoot! Hercules also likes the highest spots in the room. (We've had to clean off the tops of pretty much everything!) I hadn't read that about the patch of white fur. Interesting! Hercules also has a tiny patch on his chest. I'm glad it would have saved Hercules as well!
Loved learning the history of black cats. Interesting stuff! I am not a cat person, but if I were, I would definitely want a black one. :D
My husband has never been a cat person either, Alicia, but he is now! If I shared the photo of him hugging Hercules, he'd might be tempted to dump me! (It's so cute. He -- hubby, that is -- has a huge smile on his face.) :-)
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