This is from a newsletter i get from Pet Place. i get newsletters all about cats! since i haven't posted in typepad for awhile i thought i would post this interesting email i got from them.
Cat Crazy Newsletter
Why is the Halloween cat so scary?
Think about the classic Halloween image - back arched, fur on end, eyes glittering, claws unsheathed, ready to pounce, hissing and spitting on the first human to cross its path. The Halloween cat is as scary a symbol as there is in the mythology of childhood. ������
Why is the Halloween cat so scary? The answer is pretty interesting.
The Halloween cat has gotten a bad reputation over the years. The reputation of the Halloween cat's historical ancestor (the witch) is no better. Boiled in oil or burned at the stake, the black cat was thought to be a companion of the devil - as was her fellow traveler, the witch. They were blamed for most of the wrongs of the medieval world, from impiety to plague.������
The animal's habits and grace - prized today - didn't help her image either. Moving silently along, merging seamlessly into the gloom of night, the cat seemed to appear and disappear at will. While most people feared the darkness, this animal, with her natural nocturnal habits, seemed to seek it out. Her unearthly "yowlings" in the dark only added to her fearsome reputation.���
In the Middle Ages, cats were considered demonic. The reason probably lies in the monumental superstition of the times: Disease, storms, famine somuch as unknown and feared.
The Cult of the Cat
Sailors believed cats could forecast the weather and the hardships of upcoming voyages. For example, it was said, a loudly meowing cat meant a dangerous trip. A playful one meant easy sailing. If a cat licked her fur against the grain, hailstorms were likely. If she sneezed, there would be rain. Storms were started through magic stored in the animals' tails. Good luck was guaranteed if a cat ran ahead of a sailor but if she chanced to cross his path, disaster was sure to follow.
On dry land, cats were just as fearsome. In what passed for science, cats were said to help out sorcerers and midwives with their herbal magic, adding to their reputation as witches' helpers. On rare occasions though, they gave their lives for medicine. In the American colonies, a sure cure for tuberculosis was a broth made from a boiled black cat. The problem was killing the cat in the first place; few dared risk the bad luck that would surely follow the murderer all his days, so cures were few and far between.
Witches Morphed Into Cats
Accused witches were usually single women - often widows - who probably kept the animals more for companionship than anything else. But village gossip made the relationship far more ominous. Witches changed their shapes, transforming themselves into cats.
But for all the trouble cats were said to cause, there are a few cases of lucky cats. You could cure a sty by rubbing it with the tail of a black cat or you could find a lover by dreaming of a tortoiseshell cat. In France, it was thought black cats were particularly good at sniffing out buried treasure. All you had to do was take a cat to an intersection where five roads connected. Then, you turned the cat loose and followed her until she found you a fortune.
I hope you enjoyed this.
Happy Halloween!
Dr. Jon
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theres the newsletter! i love cats and i find these newsletters fun and interesting! and usually theres a cats and or dog video or two on it! if u love pets check out their site and sign up to their free newsletter here: http://www.petplace.com/ they have dog and cat videos on the site, pet health and a shop. u can also ask them questions too! Dr. John Rappaport is the founder, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the site if ur curious who dr. john was.
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