Cats have been the subject of folk wisdom and superstition throughout history. The following are some proverbs and superstitions involving cats.
Cat Proverbs
Beware of people who dislike cats (Irish).
You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange cats (American).
A cat is a lion in a jungle of small bushes (Hindu).
Those who dislike cats will be carried to the cemetery in the rain (Dutch).
It is better to feed one cat than many mice (Norwegian).
The man who loves cats will love his wife (Russian).
Happy is the home with at least one cat (Italian).
A cat bitten once by a snake dreads even rope (Arabian).
In a cat’s eye, all things belong to cats (English).
An old cat will not learn how to dance (Moroccan).
A cat may look at a king (English).
If you can't feed the cats, you must feed the rats (American).
When rats infest the palace a lame cat is better than the swiftest horse (Chinese).
When the cat's away, the mice will play (English).
The cat who frightens the mice away is as good as the cat who eats them (German).
Nature breaks through the eyes of the cat (Irish).
After dark all cats are leopards (Native American).
A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays (English).
Curiosity killed the cat, Satisfaction brought it back! (English).
A house without either a cat or a dog is the house of a scoundrel (Portuguese).
Handsome cats and fat dung heaps are the sign of a good farmer (French).
Happy owner, happy cat. Indifferent owner, reclusive cat (Chinese).
If you play with a cat, you must not mind her scratch (Yiddish)
When the mouse laughs at the cat there's a hole nearby (Nigerian).
Honest as the cat when the meat's out of reach (English).
If stretching were wealth, the cat would be rich (African).
I gave an order to the cat, and the cat gave it to its tail (Chinese).
One should not send a cat to deliver cream (Yiddish).
To live long, eat like a cat, drink like a dog (German).
Who cares well for cats will marry as well as he or she could ever wish (French).
Cat Superstitions
Black Cats
Black cats have been considered lucky in many places such as England and Japan, but unlucky in the United States (being black is certainly unlucky for cats at shelters, as they are the least likely to be adopted).
Stroking a black cat or having a strange black cat appear on your porch brings prosperity.
A fisherman’s wife can protect her husband from dangers at sea by keeping a black cat.
A woman who lives with a black cat will have plenty of suitors.
If you find a white hair on an otherwise all-black cat and you’re able to pluck it without the cat scratching you, you’ll find true love (another variant of this superstition asserts that it’s lucky to find a white hair on an all-black cat, but plucking the hair causes the luck to run out).
Instant Karma
Kicking a cat will cause rheumatism in the leg.
Killing a cat brings 17 years of bad luck.
If farmers kill cats, their cattle will die.
A woman who steps on a cat’s tail won’t find a husband in the coming year.
Throwing a ship’s cat overboard brings bad luck and storms (this superstition had some basis in practicality, as having a cat on board was lucky in the sense that the cat prevented rodents from consuming the sailors’ food supplies).
Love and Marriage
If a cat sneezes near a bride on her wedding day, her future life will be happy (some sources assert that the cat doesn’t even need to sneeze – just having a cat in the wedding party is good luck).
After a cat washes its face, whoever she looks at first will be the first to marry.
If newlyweds place a cat in a cradle in their home, their wish for children will be granted.
Death and Supernatural Forces
If two cats fight near a fresh grave, an angel and the devil are fighting for the deceased’s soul.
A cat jumping over a corpse will cause the individual to rise from the dead as a vampire or zombie.
Somewhere on the tail of a cat there is a single hair that can restore a dying person to life.
A cat will purr if there’s a ghost in the room.
Cats are inhabited by Satan during thunderstorms.
A cat deserting the home of a sick person foretells the afflicted individual’s death.
Tortoiseshell cats not only have the ability to see the future, they can grant this psychic gift to a child in the household where they live.
Protection and Luck
A sneezing cat brings good luck or future wealth.
If cats leave a home, its inhabitants will forever be cursed with illness.
Anyone who spies a one-eyed cat should spit on his thumb, stamp it into the palm of his hand, and make a wish.
A cat of three colours protects against fevers and fires.
Ceramic cat figures ward off misfortune and evil.
A light-coloured cat ensures that one’s home will be filled with silver, whereas a dark cat brings gold.
For more beliefs about cats, see Cat Superstitions.
References:
- Ask About Ireland and the Cultural Heritage Project. (n.d.). “ Cat superstitions.” AskAboutIreland.ie.
- Australian Media Pty Ltd. (2010). “Cat Proverbs.” CatQuotes.com.
- Barnhart, D.N. (2007). “Cat Proverbs.” CatLover.org.
- Broad, M. (n.d.). “Cat Superstitions.” Pictures-of-Cats.org.
- Choron, S.; Choron, H.; & Moore, A. (2007). Planet Cat: A CAT-alog. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.
- Moore, G. (n.d.). “Folklore, Superstitions, and Proverbs.”
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