We all know that cats were once worshipped like gods, but over the years their reputation was tarnished. In the middle of the 14th Century, black cats became linked with the devil, so many of them were killed during the Black Death pandemic. This proved to be a very bad mistake to make though, as the cats would have helped take out a lot of the rats that spread the plague. If greater numbers had been around, it’s likely that more people would have survived the plague.
Most of 16th Century Europe began to believe witches were evil, and many were trialled, tortured and sentenced to death. Since witches were at one with nature, it was common for them to have a cat as a companion. Plus, the Celts believed that cats were actually humans who had been forced to return to this world after committing bad deeds. Such theories led to people making up stories of witches turning into cats.
‘Witnesses’ to these transformations claimed that witches would sneak into people’s houses at night to harm them. Some witches even confessed to this crime, presumably because the torture they endured forced them to. Thus, the cat became more than just a witches’ pet; it was her familiar.
Sadly, this meant that cats got tied up with the witch trials and often faced the same fate as their owners.
Credit : Animal Friends
Picture Credit : Google
