A question was posted specifically about the meaning behind ‘smutty nosed cats’ and so I did a bit of research into that, following it up with cat superstitions in general, and here we are! I love cats and I especially love my two babies. They cause mountains of trouble but every time I find a whisker, I always think of good luck to follow. This is just one of the more popular superstitions related to kitties but there are many many more!
Depending on where you are from and what era you speak of, cats can be harbingers of coming prosperity and good fortune or very unlucky and misfortunate. Of all the domesticated animal companions of man, there is a strange air of mystery surrounding cats. There are many superstitions that accompany our feline friends doubtless due to the animal’s strange eyes, peculiar habits, stealthy movements, night prowling, and strange vocal accomplishments, ranging from soft musical “mewing” to the “wailing shriek” described by Poe. There lies a belief that the animal exercises a mysterious influence over the lives and destinies of human beings.
In ancient Egypt the cat was sacred to the Goddess Isis and Bastet and was held in the highest reverence. Temples were erected in their honor and sacrifices and devotions were offered. When the family cat of an Ancient Egyptian family died, the members of the household would shave off their eyebrows in mourning. In the Nordic countries, cats were sacred to Freya whose chariot was pulled by cats. It was considered good luck to give a bride a kitten on her wedding day as cats were a huge source of protection for food storage, killing the many mice, rats, and other creatures that might thieve the food that would get these hardy people through those long winters. These curious beliefs and superstitions attaching to the cat have existed for millennia. Cat superstitions from the not so distant past were somewhat gruesome and even weird. Many interesting superstitions, lore, and beliefs continue to this day.
Here are just a few:
According to Scott Cunningham, a smutty nosed cat will bring wealth to its companions. But what is a smutty nose? Historically, smut meant soot or a black mark and an even older meaning is a type of plant disease which turns the grain into black powder. It isn’t as common for a cat to have a white face and a black nose, so to have one could be considered as a lucky thing. There are many superstitions revolving around how it is good luck. Chimney Sweeps are considered good luck and it’s even more fortunate to shake the hand of a chimney sweep or for the bride to be kissed by a chimney sweep on her wedding day. A cat with a sooty nose could be interpreted through the same lens and this could be where this particular superstition comes from.
Stroking a cat’s tail nine times grants good luck at cards.
Just sharing your home with cats will bring you many blessings.
In Alabama the spirit of an old maid after death takes possession of a black cat.
Cat whiskers are lucky and finding a black one is extra lucky. Carry a whisker in a bottle or charm bag at all times to increase your luck. Use a cat whisker during astral travel for a safer journey and add to any spell for added protection. Burn the whisker with jasmine and Mugwort to aid in prophetic dreams. It is said that if you place a cat whisker under your bed, you can hide yourself from enemies. Add to spells for a magical boost and if you whisper your wish into a cat whisker, then burn it in the flame of a yellow candle, it will come true.
In Canada, Michigan, and Eastern Kansas, a cat of three colors brings luck, and in Kansas is regarded as a protection against fires and will keep a house from harm.
It is a general belief that a cat should never be left alone with a sleeping child, as the cat “may suck the child’s breath.”
Never take a cat near a dead person lest the cat take the soul of the dead.
In Maine it is believed that in the tip of every cat’s tail are three hairs of the devil – which accounts for the cat’s disposition to prowl.
Also in Alabama, to cut off the end of a black cat’s tail and bury it under the doorstep is to keep sickness out of the family. In Maine, owning a white cat will bring poverty. The belief that it is bad luck to kill a cat is general, and in Pennsylvania and Iowa is found the superstition that if a farmer kills a cat, some of his stock will die. In Massachusetts it “brings good luck” to throw a dead cat over the left shoulder and turn around twice. In Labrador, Canada it means visitors when the cat scratches the door post. When the cat washes its face, it is a sign of visitors in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. In Ohio is found the belief that playing with a cat will make a child stupid. Grease a cat’s foot and it will stay at your house. In New England it is regarded as unsafe to have a cat in the room during a thunderstorm. It needs to be remembered that killing a cat was extremely bad luck.
The black cat also makes “good medicine and cures”. The blood of a cat will cure a spavined horse. Blood from the tip of the tail of a black cat without a single white hair will cure a sty. Apply the freshly removed skin of a cat as a remedy for shingles. The heart of a black cat, applied as soon as killed, will stop bleeding from a wound. The skin of a black cat worn in one’s clothing will cure rheumatism.
Here are a few of the omens which are associated with the feline: If you dream of a cat, it signifies that you have an enemy. A spotted cat coming to your house is a lucky omen. A double-pawed cat foretells good luck. The possession of a black cat or a black and white cat brings sickness to the family. If a cat runs across your path you will be disappointed if you do not immediately turn back. If a black cat crosses your path, it will bring bad luck.
You will break friendship with a person to whom you give a cat in New England. In Ohio, if a neighbor’s cat comes listening around you may know that the neighbors are gossiping about you. In Massachusetts a cat putting its paw over its head means company. And when the cat licks its paws that also means company, and the company will come from the direction to which its tail points. In Eastern Kansas it is a favorable omen when the cat sits before the fire and washes its face. After washing its face visitors will come from the direction in which the cat looks. If a cat washes its face in the presence of several persons the first it looks at will be the first to get married, and will be the first of those present to die. If a cat washing its face before a fire pause in its ablutions and looks directly at any one, that one will receive a letter, is a Kansas belief, as also is the superstition that if the cat follows one who is leaving home it presages harm.
Also, it is unlucky to move into a house where the former occupants have left their cats or dogs. In some localities it is bad luck not to move the cat when the family moves; in other localities it is an ill omen to move the cat. A cat yowling is a sign of rain in Newfoundland. A cat eating grass indicates rain in Maine, Michigan, and Massachusetts. If a cat’s fur shines and looks glossy, the next day will be pleasant. In Alabama, a cat washing its face means rain. In New England this statement is limited to ablutions on the part of the cat before breakfast or in the parlor. The direction from which the cat’s paw moves in washing indicates direction from which the storm will come. In Central Maine it will storm soon if you see the cat looking out of a window. In Kansas it means a change of weather when the cat plays and frisks about in the house. And in New York a storm is looked for when an old cat frisks through the house at night.
When a cat is sharpening its claws the way its tail points indicates the direction of the wind the next day, is a Maine superstition. When the cat turns its back to the stove it means cold weather. If the cat lies with the back of its head turned downward, it means a storm. When the cat holds its nose up in the air it signifies rain. That putting a coal black cat under a bushel measure when it is raining will make the rain stop is a belief entertained in Maryland.
Many of these superstitions came from The Lancaster news. (Lancaster, S.C.), 07 March 1908 and the writings of Scott Cunningham.
Do you know of any other superstitions about cats? I would love to hear them! Leave them in the comments below!
Interested in a topic of your own? Just ask here and I will be glad to post it!
Instagram: 3 Cats and Cauldron
TikTok: 3 Cats and a Cauldron
Spotify Podcast: 3 Cats and a Cauldron (Soon to come to all of your favorite podcasting platforms!)
From our altar to yours, with love from the sea,
Click here for an Index to all posts
