Cats and Witches

In Desmond Morris’ book Catlore, he explains that, as late as the seventeenth century, many writers composed manuals that offered “proof” that cats were evil. For example, in his natural history text book, author Edward Topsel wrote that witches’ familiars often appeared in the shape of cats. Morris explains that “familiar” means that the cat was thought to be either a servant of the witch or the witch herself in animal form. She could use her disguise to hurt or kill her enemies.

People like Topsel also used the cat’s nocturnal nature as proof of its wickedness, since it was generally believed all God-fearing creatures slept at night. According to Sarah Hartwell’s article Feline Folktails: Cats in Folklore and Superstition, it was even believed by some that the two lions on Noah’s Ark sneezed cats out of their noses. The cats were thus inadvertently saved by the Ark, but not created by God, so they were not God’s creatures.

Morris states that, as a result of these unholy associations, a cat’s very body parts, once thought by Egyptians to be healing, were now said to be harmful. It was believed that their teeth held poison, their hair could cause suffocation, and their breath could cause consumption. As late as the Victorian era, it was believed by some that a cat could kill an infant by stealing its breath.

The vilification of the cat led not only to the persecution of cats themselves, but to the persecution of human cat lovers. Morris explains that, during the Middle Ages, if a woman (particularly an older woman) adopted a pet cat, it was not unlikely that the cat would be killed by people in the community. This was because it would have been assumed that the woman was a witch, and that the cat was her familiar. Thus, any companionship between a cat and a human, particularly a woman, could be dangerous for them both.

Some cat-related myths still exist in modern culture. For example, many people have heard myths concerning black cats, often relaying the idea that black cats are bad luck. Morris points out that not all myths concerning black cats are negative, however. He mentions the traditional British saying, “Whenever the cat of the house is black, the lasses of lovers will have no lack.” This saying refers to the female cat that, while in heat, can attract many male cats. It was thus commonly believed at one time that a young woman whose house contained a cat would have an increased ability to attract men.

Perhaps no animal has had as many myths attributed to it as the cat -- myths both positive and negative. Unlike the Egyptians, who revered cats, many other people clearly harbored antagonistic feelings toward them. For more information on these myths, and the attitudes they inspired, check the library for books and articles related to cat folklore, including the ones cited here. Happy reading!

References:

Morris, Desmond. Catlore. New York: Crown Publishers, 1987.

Hartwell, Sarah. “Feline Folktails: Cats in Folklore and Superstition.” Messybeast. 1995.

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