Cats in Witchcraft and Superstition
Cats have, throughout the ages, been associated with a great many superstitions. No more is this true than with Witchcraft. This has, at times, lead to the mass extermination of cats.
"Throughout history people have linked cats with things they don't understand. In earlier times cats were associated with deities. Later they were thought to be allied with devils." ~ John Richard Stephens, author of The Enchanted Cat
Where does it all come from?
Cats became the target of such attentions during the Renaissance courtesy of the Catholic Church’s persecution of religious groups. Some of these groups worshipped cats and, due to this, became targets as well. Words such as familiar became associated with cats which became increasingly associated with witchcraft, which at the time was forbidden. Countless people were burned at the stake after being accused of witchcraft. John Richard Stephens (The Enchanted Cat) wrote:
“When people think of witches, they often think of cats. The association of cats with witchcraft began with the Catholic church's persecution of religious groups, some of whom worshipped the cat.”
What were some of the things cats were associated with?
Aside from being viewed as familiar’s for people involved with witchcraft they have also often been associated with the following:
- Shapeshifting
- The Devil
Cats and Shapeshifting
Closely related with witchcraft is the belief that many witches claimed to be capable of turning into cats. This could be as a consequence of their own actions, or through willing participation in the actions of others. Briggs (Witches & Neighbours: The Social and Cultural Context of European Witchcraft) wrote the following on the subject:
"Demenge Thiriat had told a story about how he awakened, felt there was someone else in the bedroom and touched a woman's clothes. He heard voices he thought were those of Marion Arnoulx and Barbeline Mareschal, but when his wife lit a candle the room was empty and the door locked. Both suspects later confessed that they had entered the room in the form of cats, after Persin [their master] had stripped them naked and rubbed them with grease. They squeezed painfully through the shutters to enter the room, then were transformed back into their normal shape in order to put a poisoned grain in Demenge's mouth; when he awoke, Persin hastily converted them back into feline form so that they could make good their escape. This elaborate scenario failed to explain how they came to be fully clothed in the room, but no-one thought to ask about this inconvenient detail."
Incidents such as this can be found in many different sources from this time period. All of them increase the connection between cats and witchcraft.
Cats and The Devil
Whilst it was believed that witches were able to assume the form of cats, it was further believed that black cats were believed to be the Devil himself. Because of this, on Easter and Shrove Tuesday black cats were routinely hunted down and burned.
Illustrator Artwork
Sources on the Web
- Lore of the Cat: The Familiar ~ Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.. Available: http://www.sniksnak.com/lore12.html. Last accessed 29 September 2009.
- Cats, Magic, and Witchcraft. Available: http://www.shanmonster.com/witch/familiar/cat.html. Last accessed 29 September 2009.