The history behind black cats goes back centuries-long, being mentioned in much different folklore and media ranging from European to Welsh and even making appearances in early Egyptian Culture.

Today though, the widespread belief that surrounds the shadowy felines is that they are bad luck and should be avoided at any cost, lest some indescribable consequence besieges you.

The main reason for this connection to bad luck stems back to the Christian church during the 13th century when the church associated the black cat with Satan’s incarnation.

This belief would lead to black cats being associated with another Christian idea, witches. This link to witches would carry the concept of the black cats being bad luck far into the future, later related to the holiday of Halloween.

Engineering Technology major Derien Malone stated, “I used to think that black cats were kinda bad luck, mainly because of how they were depicted in movies, being related to bad things.”

When asked about her feelings on superstitions surrounding black cats, Senior Communication Major Brooklyn Kent said, “I don’t believe that black cats are superstitious.” Adding, “This is just old beliefs that people kept up with.”

When surveying 28 students and faculty on campus with the question, “Are Black Cats Bad Luck?” 17% said yes, while 82% said no.