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Black
Cats
In
the Middle Ages, cats were not very popular because of
their association with witchcraft and black magic. Superstitions
about cats, some |
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of
them current today, date
back to this period. Fishermans
wives believed keeping a black cat in your home meant
your husband would always return from the sea. In
the 9th century, King Henry I of Saxony decreed that
the fine for killing a cat should be sixty bushels of
corn.
There are still people who believe that the cat
is a reincarnation of the devil and regard it as bad
luck. |
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Egyptian
Cats
Around 450 BC, anyone who killed a cat in Egypt
was punished by death. When a cat died, the entire family
would shave off their eyebrows as a sign of mourning.
The male cat is Ra himself, and he was called Mau because
of the speech of the god Sa, who said concerning him:
` He is like |
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unto that which he hath made, therefore did the name
of Ra become Mau. - papyrus from the XV111 Dynasty
of Ancient Egypt, c.1500 BC Facts & Legends. |
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Norse
Cats
In
Norse mythological facts, the chariot of Freya, goddess
of beauty, love and fertility, is drawn by two large longhaired
cats; these two cats were often connected with the |
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powers
of creativity, the Earth Mother and fertility gods. |
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Japanese
Cats
Mi-Ki, or tri-colored cats, have been long taken
by Japanese sailors on their ships to bring them good
luck. The native Bobtail, according to legend, is the
Japanese cat of preference because it is less likely to
bewitch you with a twitching tail. |
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The figure of a cat with its left paw raised
is commonly seen in gift shops in Japan where they are
sold as souvenirs. It is believed that the beckoning cat
brings good fortune to its owner. |
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Pussy
Willows
There is a legend that many little kittens were
thrown into a river to drown. The mother cat wept and
was so distraught that the willow trees on the bank felt
compassion and held out their branches to the struggling
kittens who clung to them and were saved. Ever since that
time, every |
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| spring,
the willow trees wear gray buds that feel as soft and
silky as kitten tails. That is why they are called pussy
willows. |
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Chinese
Cats
Ancient
Chinese legend maintains that the cat is the product of
a lioness and a monkey - the lioness endowing her offspring
with dignity and the monkey with curiosity and playfulness. |
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The
Prophet Mohammed
The Prophet Mohammed,
the founder of the Moslem religion, believed dogs were
unclean, but loved cats so much that he once cut the sleeve
from his robe to avoid disturbing his cat which had gone
to sleep in his arms. According to legend, the M marking
on the forehead of the tabby cat was created by the Prophet
Mohammed when he rested his hand on the brow of his favorite
cat. |
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Irish
Cats
Poem Legend of the Kilkenny Cats (a testimony
to the determination of a cat) There once was two cats
of Kilkenny, And each thought there was one cat too many;
So they quarreled and fought, And they scratched and they
bit, Until there was only their nails, And the tips of
their tails, Instead of two cats, there werent any. |
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Bohemian
Cats
In what was known
as Bohemia, now western Czechoslovakia, the cat was regarded
as a symbol of fertility. |
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