Did You Know Black Cats Are Least Likely To Be Adopted?

3 myths that have haunted black cats for hundreds of years

Transcript

00:00If you're superstitious, you know to avoid black cats at all costs.

00:04But do you know the three reasons why?

00:06Number three, witch hunts.

00:08During the early European witch hunts, the women accused of witchcraft tended to have a healthy disrespect of authority, much like cats.

00:16So it's no surprise that a lot of them had cats as pets.

00:19So they were thought to be witches in animal form.

00:23Number two, nighttime.

00:24Because cats are active at dusk, and especially black cats are hard to see in the dark,

00:30people began to believe that they were nightly spirits.

00:33They would appear one minute and seemingly disappear the next.

00:36Number one, the bubonic plague.

00:39By the Middle Ages, people were so paranoid of black cats that they started blaming them for the plague.

00:45Ironically, as they got rid of cats, the rat population grew, and the plague spread even faster.

00:51Did you know that the idea that black cats are bad luck is not universal?

00:56Here are four examples.

00:57Number four.

00:58In ancient Egypt, black cats were honored.

01:01Number three.

01:02In Norse mythology, black cats would bless people with a good harvest.

01:06Number two.

01:07In some parts of Japan, black cats are believed to bring love or fortune.

01:11Number one.

01:12In some Scottish towns, black cats are said to bring prosperity.

01:16In the United States, black cats are the least likely to get adopted because of the bad luck stigma.

01:21But knowing the history now, it's easy to realize that black cats are just as wonderful and special as any other cat.

01:27Would you be interested in adopting a black cat over the holidays?

01:30Would you be interested in adopting a black cat over the holidays?