Black Cat Appreciation Day is on 17th August every year that appreciates this gorgeous black creature that is so rare on the face of the planet.

The History of Black Cat Appreciation Day

Interestingly, cats in ancient Egypt were revered highly, partly due to their ability to combat vermin such as mice, rats. Cats of royalty were known to be dressed in golden jewelry and were allowed to eat right off their owners’ plates. The goddess of warfare was a woman with the head of a cat named Bastet.

These days, however, black cats are often are seen as unlucky or mischievous, but not everyone knows why that is. In Celtic mythology, it was believed that fairies could take the form of black cats, and therefore their arrival to a home or village was seen as a sign of good luck. Unfortunately, the Pilgrims that came after them were devoutly religious and fearful of anything remotely related to the pagan beliefs of their ancestors, and it was because of that fear that black cats went from being seen as the vessels of fairies to the vessels of witches and demons. At that time it became common practice to severely punish those who kept black cats as pets and even kill the animals themselves.

Although these days nobody really believes black cats are witches or demons in disguise anymore, they are still often seen as signs of bad luck by many people in the West.

NATIONAL BLACK CAT APPRECIATION DAY TIMELINE

5 MYTHS ABOUT BLACK CATS

1. Black cats can change color

   Black cats that also have the Tabby stripe gene have fur that can turn a rusty brown color after they’ve been lounging in the sun for a long time.

2. They were companions to sailors

   Sailors and fishermen thought that having black cats on board would bring them good luck. It helped that they would eat the rats too!

3. Black cats are not a single breed

   There are actually 22 cat breeds that have solid black coats.

4. Japan’s black cat cafe

   In Himeji, Japan, there is a cafe that’s entirely devoted to black cats where visitors can pet them during their visit.

5. All cats are sacred

   In Ancient Egypt, all cats were considered sacred, so they were worshipped. This includes black cats!

NATIONAL BLACK CAT APPRECIATION DAY DATES