Let's Settle This
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Cats, especially black ones, are thought to be harbingers of bad luck. But this was not so until European humans spread their opinions on us around the world. Why people have to believe them, I don't know. Superstitions have been a gigantic part of feline history and I'm not talking about the "black cat" cult of Southern Europe. For hundreds, if not thousands, of years cats have been in folklore and religion of many nations. To get to the point, we are considered doers of good by most peoples. Let's start a general overview of beliefs according to countries. In Russia, special magic cats called "colovershees" were helpers of the housekeeper (what utter nonsense housekeepers are helpers of the cat not the other way around). They steal food from neighbors and return it to their supporting staffs. This is 100% true: my supporting staff has friends from Russia, who were supplied by Tsigan (the name means Gypsy in English) a large black (!) cat who salvaged anything he could from neighbors and conveyed it back to his household. Another good spirit who is personified as a cat is the Latvian Rungis (which means cat), a god who takes care of grain and the harvest. So if a farmer finds a black cat in his silo, he can consider it a sign of good luck. Also according to the Lats, a witch called "Rogana", who, in the form of a cat, can catch criminals and heal sicknesses. Farther north in Finland come the Maahees, underground spirits who protect animals and help anyone who is kind to "earth's creatures" (The Association for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, huh?). One of the ways to please them is to put out a dish of milk because Maahees take the form of cats. East to Scandinavia. There resides Freya, the goddess of love and beauty. Her servants (according to humans) take the shape of cats. Cat legends range far and wide and most of them say that cats are good. I hope that's settled.
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