Talking Animals: Halloween, cats and how they connect

Black cats and Halloween — the perfect pair, according to every spooky story out there ... but there's more to it than meets the eye.

Anthrozoology professor Beth Daly joined Tony Doucette in the Windsor Morning studio to talk about cats and their connection to Halloween. 

Let's dig back in history — have cats always been associated with bad luck?

No! When cats were first domesticated, they were very popular household pets. They were beloved because they were perceived to be gods or goddesses. 

When did the reputation change?

The irony is, they were beloved in Egypt for having this power, for being godlike. It was exactly what Middle Ages Christianity was afraid of. Suddenly they were perceived as the animal of witches, which were older peasant women ... ironic because now we have an association of cats with older women! The Middle Ages came along and cats were perceived as being these terrifying devil reincarnate, to the point where there was a papal edict that all cats should be killed. 

They were killed in Egyptian times too — but because they were so loved. They were killed as a form of sacrifice, so they were often raised to be killed. There were millions [of cats] that were actually mummified, as a tribute. 

And in Islam, there's a different view?

That's right, in the Middle East cats continued to be highly respected in the Middle Ages. It was said that Mohammed really loved cats and advocated a tenderness toward them. 

At some point, this all started to change toward the Christian view of evil cats.

Around the 18th Century, there was a push toward kindness in the homes in the Victorian Era — a moral kindness using pets for children. Cats, alongside dogs, became the animal you would want your children to have because it would teach them to be kind. 

They're mysterious, yet they come when you call them for dinner.- Beth Daly, anthrozoology professor

Yet they're still associated with Halloween?

That goes back to the Middle Ages and their association with witches, but cats are sort of these dichotomous animals. They're mysterious, yet they come when you call them for dinner. They're clever ... but they pretend that they can't hear us when they want to. 

They know exactly what you're saying. They're also very human — the trend in makeup for cat eyes and a feminine quality. 

There's always been this urban myth that people would harm black cats on Halloween. For a while, many shelters chose to not adopt out cats [on Halloween]. But that's all changed. It was an urban myth. There didn't seem to be this high incidents of black cat abuse on Halloween.

So I shouldn't worry if a black cat crosses my path?

Well, you probably should but that has nothing to do with any kind of reality. If you're superstitious you shouldn't walk under a ladder either. 

I think many of us would probably say that in fact we should maybe think it's actually good luck, because we don't see a lot of black cats. I think we should regard them as being good omens. 

Answers have been edited for length and clarity.