General Knowledge

Fearsome felines

Do black cats bring bad luck?

By Khru Sam of Sam�s Bangkok English Academy
Photograph courtesy of Bangkok Post

Did you know that in some countries, black cats send people into a panic? Whether it�s their wailing howls, their nocturnal habits or the fact that they like to sneak up on prey, cats have long been associated with mystery, magic and, especially, bad luck.

How this superstition arose and why black cats have been getting a bad rap over the centuries can be explained with a little bit of history.

The ancient Egyptians revered cats, worshipping them as if they were gods � there was even a goddess named Pasht who had a cat�s head and nine lives. Because they were worshipped, cats were often mummified in the same way as the Egyptian kings. Killing a cat was considered a very serious offence, punishable by death, and this may be one of the origins of a fear of cats.

MAGICAL MOGGIES

Now let�s flip the calendar forward to the European Middle Ages, to the time of witches and black magic. Black cats were closely associated with witches because of the belief that witches had �familiars� � that is, magical animal companions. Of course, if they were black, the colour of evil, that made them even more fearful, especially with their glowing eyes.

Of course, in the modern world, the notion of black magic and witchcraft is just superstitious nonsense, although black cats are still associated with magic, witches and Halloween. The fact of the matter is � as far as we know � cats don�t bring good luck or bad luck. Unless, of course, you�re a mouse.

Exercises

The following animals belong to the cat family. Work with a friend to rearrange the letters to spell the names of the following big cats.

O-I-L-N

G-T-E-R-I

P-T-A-N-H-E-R

P-A-R-D-E-L-O

E-T-E-A-H-C-H

Vocabulary

feline (n): a cat; an animal of the cat family
panic (v): to suddenly feel frightened so that you cannot think clearly and you say or do something stupid, dangerous, etc.
howl (n): a long loud sad cry made by a dog, wolf, etc.
nocturnal (adj): (of animals) active at night
sneak up (phrasal v): to move towards somebody very quietly so that they do not see or hear you until you reach them
superstition (n): the belief that particular events happen in a way that cannot be explained by reason or science
bad rap (n): an unfair judgement on something or somebody
revere (v): to feel great respect or admiration for somebody or something