32 Superstitions About Cats

• When you see a one-eyed cat, spit on your thumb, stamp it in the palm of your hand, and make a wish. The wish will come true.
• A kitten born in May is a witches cat.
• A black cat seen from behind – a bad omen
• A black cat crossing your path – good luck.
• A black cat crossing one’s path by moonlight means death in an epidemic. (Irish superstition)
• A strange black cat on your porch brings prosperity. (Scottish superstition)
• English schoolchildren believe seeing a white cat on the way to school is sure to bring trouble. To avert bad luck, they must either spit, or turn around completely and make the sign of the cross.
• In the USA, Spain and Belgium a white cat crossing your path was considered to be good luck.
• To see a white cat on the road is lucky.
• It is bad luck to see a white cat at night.
• Dreaming of white cat means good luck.
• Stray tortoise shell cat – bad omen
• In Normandy, seeing a tortoiseshell foretells death by accident.
• Cats bought with money will never be good mousers
• It is bad luck to cross a stream carrying a cat. (French superstition)
• Cat sneezing once means rain
• Cat sneezing three times – the family will catch a cold
• A cat sneezing is a good omen for everyone who hears it. (Italian superstition)
• In the early 16th century, a visitor to an English home would always kiss the family cat.
• A cat washing on the doorstep means the clergy will visit
• If a cat washes behind its ears, it will rain. (English superstition).
• When the pupil of a cat’s eye broadens, there will be rain. (Welsh superstition)
• A cat sleeping with all four paws tucked under means cold weather ahead. (English superstition)
• In the Netherlands, cats were not allowed in rooms where private family discussions were going on. The Dutch believed that cats would definitely spread gossips around the town.
• If cats desert a house, illness will always reign there. (English superstition)
• In 16th century Italy, it was believed that if a black cat lay on the bed of a sick man, he would die. But there’s also a belief that a cat will not remain in the house where someone is about to die. Therefore, if the family cat refuses to stay indoors, it was an omen of death in the family.
• When moving to a new home, always put the cat through the window instead of the door, so that it will not leave.
• A cat on top of a tombstone meant certainly that the soul of the departed buried was possessed by the devil.
• Two cats seen fighting near a dying person, or on the grave shortly after a funeral, are really the Devil and an Angel fighting for possession of that person’s soul.
• If you kick a cat you will get Rheumatism.
• To kill a cat brings seventeen years of bad luck. (Irish superstition)
• Killing a cat is an absolute guarantee that you have sacrificed your soul to the Devil.

Found at: Sigils Symbols and Signs