Witch Cats | 15 curiosities to discover about these felines

Although today some people think of witches exclusively when choosing their Halloween costumes, the truth is that these characters were part of universal history and had to go through various tragic situations with their companions and even their faithful animals, the witch cats.

The latter were also involved in a negative circle simply because they were the companions of the people who practiced witchcraft, and even other were sacrificed for thinking that their masters were sorcerers , when it really wasn't like that.However, let's not go further! Here we explain the curiosities related to witch cats that you have to discover.

15 Curiosities of witch cats | Why were their faithful companions?

1.During the Middle Ages the popularity of witches became more acute.At this time women who practiced witchcraft began to be very badly seen and, having cats as companions, people associated them with them and also gained very bad fame.Wrongly it was believed that witch cats were the representation of the devil on Earth and even some people considered felines, especially the curious black cats, were evil beings with whom the women in hat and dark clothes had done witchcraft.

2.At the time in question were considered certain traits for which you would formerly be a witch, among them is the presence of a cat in your home, whether or not your pet this animal could become a witch through the eyes of others , which is why most people began to sacrifice their mustache pets, all so that they did not consider them to be witch cats.

3.Despite the fact that by the time cats were frowned upon, and witches even more, the truth is that witch cats were considered their " family spirits ", which embodied in domestic animals and therefore it is possible to visualize this animal species accompanying witches throughout history.The spirits consist of entities that enter the body of certain animals, in this case cats , and so they put themselves at the service of their masters, accompanying the families generation after generation.

4.One of the best-known witch cat stories is that of the witch Agnes Waterhouse and her cat Satanas, which was transformed into various animals (including dogs and toads) so that numerous murders and other misfortunes could be carried out in the area in which this witch lived.However, the transformations in question had not been made by Mother Waterhouse, as she was also known , but by another woman named Elizabeth Francis, who gave the witch the feline that would cause her to be executed.

5.Continuing in the Middle Ages, people used to believe that witches, when they died, they became these felines , which is why it was common to observe witch cats even when they died.

6.Another of the beliefs that were held in ancient times that involved witch cats was that these animals attracted bad luck , especially if we talk about black cats, something that even some consider as true.The history of superstition of black cats is really old and regardless of the country you are in, you will find people who still believe in it.

7.When the black plague arrived in Europe, in the fourteenth century, there were not too many felines capable of eliminating the rats that transmitted so many diseases.This was due to the brutal extermination of witch cats , a fact that came to be considered an error, taking into account that almost half of Europeans died as a result of this pandemic.

8.Although the cats may have helped avoid the prolongation of the bubonic plague, the poor perception that the people of these animals had continued through the centuries.Even the Church supported her on numerous occasions, highlighting the horrible practice of burning witch cats alive in the public squares , as if it were an act of entertainment, during the Night of San Juan.

9.In present-day Belgium there was a tradition that was named Kattenstoet , where people took the black cats and threw them from the bell tower of the famous Lonja de Panos, one of the most outstanding heritage sites of Ypres, Belgian city.This activity used to be carried out frequently with the witch cats so that the inhabitants could “protect themselves from him as curses ”.

Panja de Ypres, Belgium

10.If you have so far been surprised by the curiosities of the witch cats that we have presented to you, we inform you that there are still much to discover.Some of the people who lived in the Middle Ages, when they saw a black cat, believed that they were immediately visualizing a witch .Besides considering that witches could become these animals when They died, others believed that they became the quadrupeds to visualize their victims freely in the streets.

11.The trials against witches began to be common from the year 1690, specifically during 1692 and 1693 what was historically known as the Salem trials was carried out, where more than 100 people were accused of performing witchcraft practices , even some were prosecuted for simple assumptions made by the inhabitants of the areas in l So they lived.One of the most common cases was that certain neighbors believed that these people were witches for having relatives turned into black animals, especially Bombay cats, like the well-known witch cats.The historical truth about the witches of Salem is really scary.

12.The bombay cats are the breed of black cats that are popularly associated with witch cats.This breed is based on crossing of a burmes cat and an American with short hair.

13.Luckily, the years went by and so some of the negative superstitions that people had with respect to the witch cats .Today, in some areas of the world, visualizing a curious black cat is a symbol of good omen.

14.Some people believe that if you see a black cat on your wedding day , your marriage will be prosperous.However, those who still believe in the negative relationship of witch cats with the dark, they express that this symbolizes all the bad experiences that you will live with your partner.

15.In certain areas people continue to associate witch cats with powers special, in this case, curative.Certain believers believe that when styes appear in the eyes the only method that really takes effect quickly is to pass the tail of a black cat through the affected area .

Witch cats had a really dark past due to the beliefs that people had in ancient times due to ignorance or simple roots to what was preferable to avoid at the time, such as spells or curses.If you want to discover more about witches and their history , we invite you to know since when there are witches and, in addition, to enjoy 7 movies of witches that can help you to know them better or fear them, look at them at your own risk!