Black cats can be found in many decorations around Halloween alongside witches and cauldrons. Have you ever wondered how black cats became a popular symbol of Halloween? The melanistic felines have a long history associated with bad luck and witchcraft dating back to the 13th century, earning them a spot in everyone’s spooky decor.

Cats and Witches

Believe it or not, witchcraft associated with Paganism and early Christianity lived harmoniously at first. However, the Christian church began seeing Paganism as competition and a threat to their religion and began hunting and killing witches. Witches and Pagans have strong ties to the natural world with heavy respect for plants and animals. Somewhere along the line, cats became associated with witches as their animal familiar – likely due to opinionated cat ladies like me – that the Catholic church did not particularly like. Their association with witches unfortunately caused them to become a target for cruelty throughout the centuries.

My darling black kitty, Loki!

A Black Cat Crossing Your Path – is it Unlucky?

The silly superstition of a black cat crossing your path leading to bad luck also gets its origins from witch trials and hunts. Cats were seen as familiars of witches and evil omens. It was thought that if a cat crossed your path, especially if that cat was black, you were marked and about to be cursed by its witch. While there are many black cat superstitions that have survived over the centuries, this one is probably the most well-known.

A Pope’s Witchhunt

In 1233, Pope Gregory IX produced an official church document, the Vox in Rama, that described the occult and those who worshipped the devil. In it, black cats were stated to have been the incarnation of the devil himself. This decree began the European witch hunts of the 13th century and black cats were forever linked to witches and devil worshipers. Unfortunately, this superstition persists to this day, leaving some people genuinely afraid of a black cat that crosses their path or their use in the occult and devil worship.

Thanks to the random writings of a pope in the Medieval times, black cats were killed by the thousands around Europe and later in the Americas by the incredibly superstitious Puritans. In fact, it is speculated that so many cats were killed during witch hunts that their absence helped fuel the Bubonic plague throughout Europe. Of course, cats were blamed for the disease too, causing more to be killed (furthering the problem).

Are Black Cats Persecuted Around Halloween?

There is a long-standing, popular myth that black cats are adopted out around Halloween by those who want to harm them in ritualistic sacrifices. No need to fear for our furry friends: this has been shown to be completely untrue!

During the “Satanic Panic” of the 1990s, it was widely believed that cultic kids would adopt or steal animals, especially black cats, for Satanic rituals and dark magic around Halloween. Despite there being no evidence to support this belief, many animal shelters began hiding their black cats and refusing black cat adoptions around the month of October for their protection. Unfortunately, this has resulted in many black cats, who are already more difficult to adopt out, to be kept away from potential forever homes. Most animal shelters run background checks and have a thorough adoption process for all of their pets, so it is highly unlikely for a black cat to be relinquished that quickly to any passerby who wants one, especially for sinister purposes.

There’s no need to be afraid of our dark feline friends around Halloween or hold grudges against them because of their fur color. They’re just like any other cat! (Unless you ask black cat owners like me. We say they’re the best!)

If you’d like to learn even more about how black cats have become associated with witchcraft and all things spooky, check out my podcast episode here or find episode 23 of Humane Nature Podcast wherever you like to download your favorite shows.