Black cat

Interpretation of the image of black cats and cats in different cultures and peoples varies. In the UK, a black cat is considered a symbol of good luck. The Scots believe that a black cat who has entered the house will give wealth and prosperity, and the mistress of the black cat will have many fans ^[1] . However, in Western culture, black cats are often a symbol of bad omen. A black cat is a favorite and helper of witches (like some other black creatures, such as a raven ). In works of folklore, the black cat often took on a human form and spied on people on the orders of witches or demons. In the Middle Ages, these prejudices forced people to kill black cats and cats. This partly led to an increase in the rat population and the spread of bubonic plague and other diseases transmitted by rodents ^{[2] [3]} .

Sometimes the supernatural properties attributed to black cats and cats are considered positive, for example, sailors believe that a ship cat of a black color will bring good luck in swimming. Black cats are often kept at home by the wives of sailors and fishermen, believing that this will protect their husbands who are swimming. (see Ship Cat ). As an American study determined, black cats and cats are less likely than others to be taken from animal shelters ^[4] .

And also they are invisible in the dark to catch mice and rats at night and even in the shade.

Anarchism

In the 1880s , black became associated with anarchism , and the black cat became a symbol of the anarchists ^[5] . One of the protests was called the “Wild Cat Strike”.

During the trial of the leaders of the Industrial Workers of the World organization in 1918, Ralph Chaplin , who is considered the creator of the black cat symbol, said that the black cat has been associated with the idea of ​​protest since childhood, that it instills fear of sabotage and superstition in owners and employers ^{[6 ]} .

Bohemia

• Cabaret Black Cat ( French: Le Chat Noir ) - a famous Parisian institution of the XIX century. It was opened on November 18, 1881 by the artist Rodolf Salis and closed in 1897 ^[7] .
• The Black Cat Bar in San Francisco is famous for being open during the Prohibition Act in 1933, selling alcohol at that time, and lasting 30 years until 1963 .

Literature

• " Black Cat " is the main character of the novel by Edgar Allan Poe in 1843 and the 1981 film of the same name .
• Black Cat Hippopotamus - character of the novel "The Master and Margarita " by M. A. Bulgakov .
• The Black Cat gang in the Weiner brothers novel Era of Mercy (the action takes place in 1945).
• In Neil Gaiman 's series of short stories “ Smoke and Mirrors, ” the Black Cat is the main character who, out of grace, picked up by the inhabitants of a country house, pays for their kindness with his protection from the Devil.
• In the series of novels “ Warrior Cats ” by Erin Hunter, several characters, cats, have black wool (Burnt, Night Star, Speckled, Smokey, Migrant, Black Claw, Iridescent and others).
• In the children's book of the Greek writer Eugenios Trivizas “ The Last Black Cat ” (2011).

Comics and Manga

• Black Cat is the popular manga of Yabuki Kentaro.
• The black cat is a Marvel Comics character ( Spider-Man series).
• The black cat is the heroine of Harvey Comics .
• El Gato Negro (Spanish) is an independent comic book series.
• The fate of Gorely - a manga from a series of novels by Erin Hunter "Cat Warriors". The main character is a lonely Gorely, black cat.

Cinema

• Cat Felix , one of the first animated characters in the world, was created during the silent movie era.
• Black cat (film, 1934) ;
• Black cat (film, 1981) ;
• Black cat (film, 1989) ;
• In the Soviet cartoon Dog in Boots, all the cats of the cardinal are black.

Sports

• On September 9, 1969, the baseball teams of Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets played the decisive match. In the middle of the match, fans released a black cat on the field, which ran straight to The Cubs player Ron Santo, and then to other players on the team. The Cubs lost not only this match, but also held a series of unsuccessful matches, as a result, the score of victories and defeats in the season was 8-17.
• One of the nicknames of Sunderland Football Club - The Black Cats (black cats)

Music

• “ Black Cat ” is a song by Yuri Saulsky and Mikhail Tanich .
• “ Black Cat ” is a Janet Jackson song that led the Billboard Hot 100 .
• “The Black Cat” is a London After Midnight song released on the album “Selected Scenes from the End of the World”.
• “ Song about the Black Cat ” - verses and music by Bulat Okudzhava .

Other

• Kutsushita Nyanko ( Japanese: “Cat in Socks”) - a black cat in white socks, the hero of San-X .
• Cat Salem - the hero of the series " Sabrina - a little witch ."
• Chococat is a black cat from the Hello Kitty series.
• Emily (the heroine of the Emily the Strange series of posters) is the mistress of four black cats ^[8] .
• The moon is a black cat, anime character Sailor Moon .
• In the anime “ Witch Delivery Service ” there is a character - a talking black cat Ji-ji.
• In the anime " Bleach " there is a character in the periodic appearance of a cat - Yoruichi (woman).
• The image of the black cat, bringing failure, formed the basis of Super Cat, the character of the French animated series “ Lady Bug and Super Cat ”.
• In the full-length anime film directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi “ Mary and the Witch's Flower ”, the main character is accompanied by a black cat.

• Cat

• Site about black cats
• Best Black Cats - photo gallery of Life magazine