Cats and the Weather
Cats can forecast the weather! At least thats what superstitious people believe they can do. They always associate cats with bad weather as well. This superstition came from all around the world that the origin of this superstition is lost in the abyss.

So if the cat is clawing at the carpets and curtains, wind is bound to come. If a cat looks out a window for a long period of time or have its pupils dilated or both at the same time expect that rain is on the way. If a cat sleeps with all its four paws tucked under it snuggly that means the weather is going to be bad, doesn’t specifically say how bad, just bad.

Though there is one superstition that could be true. It is that some cats can predict earthquakes. A study conducted in Japan, from surveys of pet owners who went through the big earthquake with a magnitude of 9 in 2011, said that their pets did act differently when the earthquake was coming, but this was not bound to only cats. Dogs and even cows acted weird right before the natural disaster.

Thus, the prediction of weather could be somewhat true, but clawing at carpets and looking out the window as a sign? Probably not.

Cats and Luck
We all have heard that a black cat means bad luck, but there is more to it than that. It depends on where the cat is, where the cat is heading and what the cat is doing. Here’s how it goes, for the cat to be bringing bad luck or a sign of bad omen, it is usually when the black cat just appeared out of no where and crossed your path or when the black cat walks away from you.

For the black cat to be bringing good luck, you need to either find one white hair on the black cat, find the cat sitting on your porch, own the black cat or if the black cat walks towards you, it will bring good fortune.

But luck doesn’t just centre around black cats. Theres the stray tortoise shell cat that means bad omen and there’s also the belief that when a cat, any cat sneezes, it means good luck. But if you hear a cat sneezes three times, the family will catch a cold.

There’s one practice that believed in how cats could affect luck so much that in the dark ages, cats were mortared into the foundation of buildings, while they were still alive to ensure good luck to the inhabitants.

Cats and Sailors
Sailors go out to the unknown sea, with enough experience they would know when a storm is coming or when everything is fine. But they have their own superstition about cats as well.

Having a cat on board was believed to bring good luck for the journey. But I think the cats real job is to make sure that the rat infestation is controlled. It is also believed that any sailors that was approached by the ship’s cat would have good luck, but if the cat only came halfway or just crossed its path, it meant bad luck would instead befall the sailor.

Sailors made sure that the cats were well-fed and contented because popular belief said that cats could start storms through the magic stored in their tails. I’m thinking of the nekomata when I read this. Now, because of the storm bringing belief, it’s believed that the worse possible cat-related thing that could happen on the whole journey is if the cat was thrown overboard, because it is guaranteed to raise a storm and would bring all sorts of bad luck.

While on dry land, fishermen’s wives would keep a black cat while their husbands are away to prevent any danger from occurring to their husbands. This belief was taken so seriously that the black cats were considered very valuable that they were often stolen.

Cats and Death
Throughout the centuries, cats are commonly associated with demons and witchery. When those two are seen together, it is imminent that death gets in the picture. Thus some people believe that cats may be able to see the spectre of death and in old malay beliefs, if a black cat jumps on or walks over a dead body, that dead body will rise and become a ghost.

It is common to think something bad is about to happen when black cats are around, this is very apparent in the 16th century italy, where people believed that if a black cat lays on the bed of a sick person, that person will die. They also believed that if a cat refused to stay indoors of a sick persons house, something bad was bound to happen. If both happened consecutively, one could assume that death is certain.

There are a few more superstition about cats and death but this one in particular made me wonder how people could even make this up? So if you see two cats fighting near a dying person or near the grave shortly after a funeral, the two cats are likely to be the Devil and an angel. You know, fighting for the possession of the soul.

Though most of these superstition shows that cats are bad omen but there is still hope for cat lovers out there. In ancient Japan, it was believed that somewhere on the tail of a cat, there is a single hair that could restore a dying person to full health probably a bit like a special items in games to fill your hp with.

Cats and Dreams
Dreams are always a wonder, some say its just your head organising information form your everyday life but some say there is actual meaning to it that if you can interpret your dreams it may show you a future prediction or even a premonition of current events.

Here are some of the predictions of cat dreams if you ever had any.

• Dream of a tortoise shell cat and you will be lucky in love.
• Dream of a ginger cat and you will be lucky in money and business.
• Dream of a black and white cat and you’ll have luck with children.
• Dream of a tabby and you will have luck with your home.
• Dream of a multicolored cat and you will have luck making friends.
• Dream of being badly scratched by a cat foretold sickness and trouble.
• Dream of a white cat is good luck.

So what I got from all this is that, owning a cat is better than not owning one. X3

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EXTRAS

Cats and Company

• Some people believed that if a cat washes its face and paws in the parlor, company’s coming.
• If there is a cat washing on the doorstep, the clergy will visit – American folklore
• In the Netherlands, cats were not allowed in rooms where private family discussions were going on. The Dutch believed that cats would definitely spread gossips around the town.

Cats and Fertility

• The Pennsylvania Dutch place a cat in an empty cradle of a newlywed couple. The cat was supposed to grant their wish for children.
• In Scandinavia, the cat stood for fertility.
• The Hindu believed the cat was the symbol for childbirth.