Black Cats...a Halloween Icon

[DemonSlayerMau]

As everyone here probably knows by now, I am a Cat Lover. I don't just love Black Cats, but I love them all! From the fluffy white turkish angora to the bald spynx, from the black footed cat to the Siberian tiger. I view my cat as one of my best friends, and I love my kitty like a mother loves a child.
Erhem, alright Mau, what the heck are you talking about? What's this got to do with Halloween?
Let me explain, as a cat lover it's quite obvious what my favorite Halloween Icon would be. You guessed it, the black cat! Black cats have such a mysterious and mystique look to them. Some are reminded of their wilder cousins, the Black Panthers!
Many associate black cats with witches, or even bad luck. Codswallop! I think of them as beautiful and mysterious. Black cats are often very affectionate. I believe (don't quote me on this) that black cat fur is actually a recessive trait, and that a black cat is actually a tabby, but with all black fur. This would make sense, because in larger cats there is such a thing as "melanism" which causes big cats to have all black fur. Black panthers can range from being leopards, to mountain lions, to jaguars, etc. There's no one such cat as a black panther!
Ok Mau, you're getting carried away again. What point are you trying to make?
Anyway, how many of you love black cats, or love cats in general? How many like decorating with Black cats for halloween?
Black cats are associated with another famous day of the year, although that day of the year isn't as easily predicted. Friday the 13th! But as I said before, I don't feel black cats are bad luck. My cousin has one named Lucky. They don't bring bad luck, I think they bring good luck!
Here's the thing though. I discovered this forum searching for halloween stuff, just to kind of window shop on my computer (hey I'm poor. X.x ) I have a REAL difficult time finding any black cats! Black cats have been an Icon of Halloween for centuries! And yet there are very few Black Cat decorations it seems like! I see alot of skeletons, ghouls, dead bodies, witches, vampires, bats even rats! And of course the pumpkins and jack o' lanterns, but you just can't have Halloween without a pumpkin!
But in my personal and humble opinion, the Black Cat is as important to the Halloween Spirit as pumpkins, ghosts and witches and other halloween icons! I've even seen *gasp horror* Creepy halloween DOGS! I've seen more Halloween dogs than I have cats, and that is just blasphemy! Since when do Dogs gain more precedent in halloween than cats!? I understand the werewolf....but zombie rover? Frankenstein Fido? You gotta be kidding me. Over the centuries, Black Cats have earned their place as Halloween’s number one Holiday animal. Christmas has reindeer, Easter has bunnies. Thanksgiving has turkeys. Halloween…has Black Cats. =D
So I think more attention should be given to the furry little critters. They used to be drowned because people would think they were witches. But little did people know back then that cats kept the disease carrying rodents away. Cats are on our side. Just like Jack o’ lanterns were meant to keep away evil spirits, cats (of all colors) were meant to keep our crops free of pesky rodents.
Anyway, this is a discussion on what I feel to be Halloween’s Animal icon: The Black Cat. What do you feel is important about these critters, and where are some of the best places to find Black Cat decorations? Do you own a real black cat? If so tell us about him/her! This topic is all about the Black Cat, who deserves a spot right next to Jack. Jack ‘o lantern that is!

[Haunt Master]

Sorry, I wish I would have a black cat myself, but my grandpa hates CATS!

So, across the street from my house, a friend of mine has a black cat that is always being outside all the time... He loves to climb the tree, climb up on the roof, climb to the top of the RV, even hunting the food such mice, mouse, rat and bird! That black cat is definitely a witch's own favorite pet!


Well, I only have one black dog, that's Black Lab. She's smart!

[Rising Dead Man]

Sorry, I wish I would have a black cat myself, but my grandpa hates CATS!

My dad hates em too. I would get a cat but I don't know if the landlord would allow a cat in our apartment.

[DemonSlayerMau]

What a coincidence, my stepfather hates cats. Guess everyone's got someone in the family to ruin the idea of having a cat.
At least I get to have one living with my dad and grandma. Well, five actually. One in particular I consider mine though. Or rather, I'm hers. o.o

[HalloweenDot]

I like cats, but my almost 20 year old cat died the week before Christmas last year and so I haven't wanted to get another one...yet. Plus pets require extra work to care for and extra costs. It doesn't help that my older daughter has asthma and one of her allergies is dogs (cats a little, but not so much).

They are pretty fun though.

[midnight kitty]

i absolutely love my black cat, zachary binx. he acts more like a dog than a cat though. he doesn't stop eating (yet he's a tiny 1 yr old) and he's constantly licking you.

[HalloweenDot]

My cat was old and he'd had a good life, but it was really sad to see him go. He had been around 14 lbs most of his life but was down to about 9 a year before he died, then he kept losing weight and was about 5 when he finally died. He was on about 50 lives though given how old he was. It was still very sad.

He had had a great day, sat in the sun, eaten, then he went in the other room, went to sleep. Checked on him and he was alive, and so we kept playing a board game, then about 5 minutes later my older daughter's electronic cat toy started meowing for some reason, so I went to see why and looked at him and he had just stopped breathing. Quite sad, but he went peacefully in his sleep.

i absolutely love my black cat, zachary binx. he acts more like a dog than a cat though. he doesn't stop eating (yet he's a tiny 1 yr old) and he's constantly licking you.

[jadewik]

I love cats too. I have three. Two tabbys (Momma and Clovis), and a black cat named Nicodemus who is scared of everything but going outside (even though he's an "indoor" cat-- we have mountain lions and coyotes near our house so I keep them inside).

I don't think Black Cats are less of an icon. I was in a store called "Home Goods" doing some Halloween shopping and I came across "Black Cat Pasta". There are TONS of pumpkin patterns with black cats as the focus. I've made Black Cat decorations before. I've seen Black Cats in silhouette in the Martha Stewart section of the Michael's Halloween stuff-- there was also this really sweet black cat paper punch for $10 I had to talk myself out of buying (though I know full well I'm purchasing it the next time I go to Michael's... if there are any left). There are stamps and stickers and stencils too. I think it's a little harsh to say they're not around as much... I just think you may not be looking in the right places. *wink*

[Andybev01]

Jadewik, Nicodemus is perfect. He reminds me of Salem from Sabrina TTW, or Binx from Hocus Pocus!

I had a pure black short hair of no pedigree (the best kind!) for almost 18 years. She even had black pads on her feet and a black nose. Thomasina was her name, after the movie.

Now-a-days it's a white and yellow deamon named Amber.

[DemonSlayerMau]

I did actually have a black cat a LONG long time ago. He may have been black and white (but I'm not sure, I think he was black though. Mostly black anyway. Many black cats do have a little bit of white in them) His name was Shadow. But this was back when I was 5. I don't remember him very well though. I just remember the tragic day when he was run over. My mom and I cried for hours. The jerk who ran him down didn't even stop. I would've loved to punch that guy out whoever did it.
To those who have lost their beloved feline companions, my heart goes out to you. Many pet owners believe in the rainbow bridge. I believe all animals go to heaven. The rainbow bridge is where we'll reunite with our pets one day.

And purrrrhaps you're right jadewik. I do find a lot of black cat stuff, I just REALLY gotta look.
Wish I could show you guys my collection. My favorite is a very special black cat plushie I got from my boyfriend last year. He told me he got me another one though. ^^ Last year I got some pretty cool window clings that included skulls and an egyptian black cat. (I've got a black egyptian cat statue of bastet, but that's staying around all year round XD; )
I've got all kinds, from all places. My most expensive one was one that plays music and raises up it's back and it's eyes glow. Some of my black cats come from the dollar tree.
And then some come from after halloween. I DO have a blow up one, but I'm saving that for when I get my own place.

Interestingly enough, I found that SOME cultures actually believe black cats to be good luck. o.o

Here's an excerpt from this website: http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Hallowee ... kCats.html

However, not every culture thought that black cats were bad luck. The ancient Egyptians treated cats with utmost respect. They were considered kingly animals and to kill one was a capital offence. The ancient Egyptians even went as far as to mummify their cats when they died to preserve them for the afterlife. They had a deity with the head of a cat named Bast to which they dedicated their mummified cats. The ancient Egyptians weren't the only culture who thought cats were special.



In Japan the Maneki Neko (Beckoning Cat) is considered a symbol of good luck. In Russia, their Russian Blue breed of cats are supposed to be good luck as well. In Latvian tradition, black cats embody the spirit of Rungis, a god of harvests, which is good luck for farmers to have around. In the UK black cats are associated with good luck, and have been for ages.

So if you're growing your own pumpkins this year, a black cat might help your harvest. XD;

Pretty interesting huh? If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was either a cat in a past life, or an egyptian. XD; But I don't know if reincarnation is true or not. I've always grown up believing in Heaven and Hell. o.o

[Black Kitty Kat]

Hi,

I have an all black kitty cat named Dusty. He was was an all white pure breed Humalayan. Dusty is very good at Halloween. He walks by the door when I'm giving out candy and scares the kids!

[DemonSlayerMau]

That's cute black kitty cat.
I do find black cat stuff at halloween...I guess it was just looking online that made it difficult..but with some effort they are easier to find than Christmas cats. XD;

[GucciGirl]

EEK I don't think I could have a black cat... I'm not raelly superstitious or whatever, but I think that would just freak me out... Other cats are cute, though!!!