From witches to shelters: The history of black cats

From witches to shelters: The history of black cats Story by Genna Miller Photos by Katherine Egedi Almost everyone has heard of black cats bringing bad luck, according to History.com. While this superstition is now only a lingering thought when seeing a black cat dart across the street, the myth of black cats being sacrificed still lingers in people’s heads, according to The Friendship Animal Protective League. But why exactly does American culture associate black cats with bad luck?  Kelsey Truxal, a political science pedagogical assistant professor at WKU from Owensboro, said cats have been treated differently throughout history. She said they were revered in ancient Egypt and there have been gods connected to cats.  Pedagogical Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science Kelsey Truxal explained the history of the Salem Witch Trials in her office on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. Truxal said that in Middle-Age Europe, from the 5th century to the Renaissance, people questioned whether cats carried diseases because of their connection to mice, which created fear of cats. According to Medievalists, cats’ ability to catch mice was compared to the devil catching souls. Cats’ independent nature also fueled the hatred for them during these times. “In some literature, you’ll read that cats were great because they hunt mice, but to the extent that mice carried diseases, cats were around mice,” Truxal said. “Then there became this fear of cats.” Robert Dietle, an associate professor of history at WKU from Frankford, Missouri, said that black cats, specifically, have been associated with the devil because the devil was described during the Salem Witch Trials as disguising itself as a large black cat. He said witches were sometimes depicted as worshipping them, and thus the belief of witches having “animal familiars” began to develop.  Associate Professor in the Department of History at Western Kentucky University Robert Dietle said black cats are often associated with witches and witchcraft, which began to emerge in the 1430’s, in his office on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. Dietle said that animal familiars are demons that take the form of an animal. He said these familiars can be a wide variety of animals like dogs, rats and frogs. Still, animal familiars are most commonly believed to be cats.  The association between cats and religion correlates to a period later in history. Truxal said that, during the Salem Witch Trials, anything that was not Christian was considered “witchcraft,” which led to many women associated with animals or medicine from nature to be tried as witches. According to Britannica, witches were often considered devil worshippers, which is how they derived their powers. These trials were often a cesspool of misinformation, like hysterical children, feuds over property and false confessions. “A lot of these people that were accused of witchcraft were single individuals, and sometimes they would have animals as companions,” Truxal said. “The story turns into, well, these animal companions are actually the witch projecting her spirit into the animal and sending the animal off to do her bidding, or they command the familiar to go off and do the bidding for her.” Truxal said that blemishes on women’s bodies were believed to be “witch’s tits” that were used for the familiar to nurse from them. These marks were considered evidence that the woman was a witch. Truxal said that the only cat ever executed was a white cat with black spots allegedly named “Sathan, which was during the European witch trials.” She said that, over time, storytellers began referring to the cat as “Satan”.  6-year-old Luna lies down to nap in her cage at the Bowling Green/Warren County Humane Society on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, and is available for adoption. “Sarah Carrier is the only trial to specifically mention a black cat,” Truxal said.  According to the examination of Sarah Carrier’s trial, the seven-year-old, who was being accused of being a witch, had said her mother forced her to engage in witchcraft. She said her mother came to her as a black cat once. Truxal said this could explain why black cats have been associated with witches over the years. Truxal said dogs were also accused of being familiars and that some were even executed, but because of dogs’ obedient nature and ease of command, these myths have not followed them to the present day.  Dietle said he finds it interesting that the connection between black cats and black magic continues even after the belief in witches has died down.  “It’s like any belief in magic,” Dietle said. “It’s a way to explain misfortune.” Leah Lawrence, manager of the Bowling Green/Warren County Humane Society Adoption Center from Bowling Green, said she does not notice superstition haunting the minds of visitors looking to adopt.  2-month-old Tildy Jane sits in her cage at the Bowling Green/Warren County Humane Society on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, and is available for adoption. Leah Lawrence, the Adoption Center Manager at the Bowling Green/Warren County Humane Society, said that every cat is different and may be slow to open up. “There used to be more of a stigma, like an old wives’ tale, with black cats and luck, but hopefully most of that is gone,” Lawrence said.  Lawrence said that black cats are still the most common cats to inhabit the shelter, but this is most likely due to them not sticking out since there are so many black cats. According to Robert Carini’s study on black cats and adoption rates, historic stereotypes can correlate with the preference for lighter coat shades in animals. Lawrence said that, due to this commonality of black cats in shelters, there is more of a chance of these cats being euthanized.  “Decisions on who were being put up for adoption were made up of, a lot of the time, based on what was the most common color,” Lawrence said. “If we got a room full of black kittens and tabby kittens, we may not have had room for another group.” Callie Gentry, a junior at WKU from Franklin, Tennessee, said she owns a 4-month-old black kitten named Bat. Gentry said that, though the superstitions never dissuaded her from adopting Bat, she has heard of real dangers that black cats can face during the Halloween season.  Callie Gentry, a junior majoring in history and a member of Alpha Gamma Delta, holds her 4-month-old kitten, Bat, which she adopted from the Humane Society in Nashville in the Adams-Whitaker Student Publications building on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. “I saw something on Instagram that said shelters stopped adopting out black cats during the Halloween season because people can mistreat them, which I think is so sad,” Gentry said. “That further the point that I’ll never let him go outdoors.”  Gentry said that she knows about black cats being associated with bad luck and witchcraft, but does not believe it.  “Obviously, there are superstitions for a reason. They’ve been passed down for years and years and years, but once something is branded with a stereotype or a superstition, it’s really hard to shake it,” Gentry said. “Something as little as, maybe somebody who got accused of being a witch had a black cat, and suddenly black cats are bad news, for some reason.”  Lawrence said that the Bowling Green/Warren County Humane Society still adopts out their black cats during the Halloween season despite the myth that shelters cease adoptions. She said they make sure to do proper screenings of prospective adopters.  Lawrence said that every cat has a different personality, and her job is to find the right owner.  Junior nursing major and Delta Zeta member Bella Knorr holds 2-month-old Tildy Jane while volunteering at Bowling Green/Warren County Humane Society on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. “Most often it’s just who they fall in love with and who seems to be a good personality match for them,” Lawrence said.  Gentry said Bat’s sociable personality matches her lifestyle well. She said that, while she never expected to adopt a black cat, she knew Bat was the cat for her the moment she saw him.  “He just spoke to my soul,” Gentry said. “I didn’t even look at any other cats. He had to go home with me.”