page_title: Black cat
section_title: As a positive omen in Britain and Ireland
hierarchical_section_title: Black cat / Historical associations / As a positive omen in Britain and Ireland
caption_attribution_description: English: A black cat, feral, female, in Springfield, Missouri, USADeutsch: Eine schwarze Katze, wild, in Springfield, Missouri日本語: スプリングフィールド、ミズーリ州の野生の黒猫、Italiano: Un gatto nero, selvatico, a Springfield, Missouri한국어: 스프링, 미주리에있는 야생 검은 고양이,Español: Un gato negro, salvaje, en Springfield, MissouriРусский: Черная кошка, дикая, в Спрингфилде, штат Миссури
context_page_description: A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay breed is exclusively black. All-black fur pigmentation is slightly more prevalent in male cats than female cats. Their high melanin pigment content causes most black cats to have yellow eyes.
context_section_description: The superstitions surrounding black cats varies from culture to culture, but black cats have positive associations in the Celtic Nations and Japanese folklore.
  Scottish lore holds that a black cat's arrival at a new home signifies prosperity, while Welsh lore states that a black cat brings good health. However, both the Gaels and Celtic Britons had traditions of feral and sometimes malevolent black cats. In Scottish mythology, a fairy known as the Cat sìth takes the form of a black cat, while in Welsh mythology the monstrous Cath Palug grew from a black kitten.
  Black cats were also considered good luck in parts of England. However in common with other Germanic cultures, some areas would associate them with witches and bad luck. 
  This mix of positive and negative associations may have given rise to the later belief that black cats were omens of both good and bad luck. One tradition states that if a black cat walks towards someone, it is said to bring good fortune, but if it walks away, it takes the good luck with it. This tradition was reversed at sea where 18th century Pirates came to believe that a black cat would bring bad luck if it walks towards someone, and good luck if it walks away from someone. It was also believed that if a black cat walks onto a ship and then walks off it, the ship is doomed to sink on its next trip. Furthermore, it is believed that a lady who owns a black cat will have many suitors.
caption: A black feral cat
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