Edgar Allan Poe

From thredith.deviantart.com

There are breeds of Black Cats. Currently about 20 breeds are designated as black cats.

Black cats have been a source of superstitions since the 1500. Long thought to be the familiar of witches, black cats bring bad luck according to American superstitions. The Salem Witch Trials included other animals as familiars, but the black cat was a particular focus in the public's mind.

Some cat superstitions:

• Black cats are lucky (England).

• A strange black cat on the doorstep or porch is lucky (Scotland).

• Black cats with any white hairs are lucky (France).

• If a black cat crosses your path, it brings bad luck (United States).

• If a black cat crosses your path, it means bad luck has missed you (England).

• Do not allow a cat in a room where private conversations are going on, because a cat is a gossip (Netherlands).

• If a black cat jumps on a sickbed, the sick person will die (Germany).

• If a cat jumps over a corpse, the corpse becomes a vampire (Romania).

Excerpted from Cats. (2008). In J. Sherman, Storytelling: An encyclopedia of mythology and folklore. London, United Kingdom: Routledge.