CAT LEGENDS AND SUPERSTITIONS

How the Pussy Willow Got Its Name

This legend originated long ago in Poland. A mother cat sat on a river bank crying, because her kittens were drowning. The willows at the river’s edge swept their long branches into the water. The branches acted as lifelines, and the kittens were saved. Since then, the buds at the tips of the branches open up every spring. They feel as soft as a kitten’s fur.

The Year of the Cat

This occurs every 12 years, according to Chinese astrology. People born in the year of the cat are said to be unselfish, smart, sensitive, and slightly aloof (like a lot of cats!).

The Cat in the Manger

Legend has it that when the newborn baby Jesus lay in his manger, none of the animals around him could soothe him. Then a little tabby cat jumped up next to him and began to purr a lullaby. The baby fell asleep contentedly. Since then, tabbies have featured the letter “M” on their foreheads, as a sign of gratitude from the baby’s mother, Mary (also called the Madonna by many Christians).

A Hairy American Superstition

If a young woman living in the Ozark Mountains region can’t decide whether or not to marry a certain man, she might “leave it up to the cat.” This means wrapping three hairs from a cat’s tail in a piece of tissue paper. If the hairs fall into an “N” shape overnight, she’ll have her answer – “No.”

Cats and Babies

There is no truth to the old belief that cats will try to smother a newborn baby or suck its breath. Cats aren’t interested in infants, and apart from an occasional curious glance or sniff, would rather stay far away from them.

FAMOUS CAT LOVERS

PEOPLE WHO LOVE CATS ARE CALLED AILUROPHILES

Edgar Allen Poe – American Writer (1809–1849)

The writer of such classic horror tales as “The Black Cat” was actually a cat lover.  Poe and his wife, Virginia, had a cat named Catarina.

Albert Schweitzer – French Medical Missionary (1875–1965)

Dr. Schweitzer cared for poor patients at his hospital in Africa. He loved all animals, but a favourite pet was a cat named Sizi. The left-handed doctor often wrote out prescriptions with his right hand, because Sizi liked to sleep on his left arm and he didn’t want to disturb her.

T.S. Eliot - American-born British poet (1888-1965)

His love of cats was immortalised in Old Possum’s Book of Cats, which was the basis for the musical ‘CATS’.

Robert E. Lee – U.S. General (1807–1870)

Best known as commander of the Confederate armies during the Civil War, Lee had previously served in the U.S. Army during the war with Mexico (1846–1848). During that campaign, Lee wrote to his daughter, Mildred, and asked her to send him a cat to keep him company.

Sir Winston Churchill – British Prime Minister and Statesman (1874–1965)

Churchill’s favourite pet during his later years was Jock, a ginger-coloured cat. Churchill liked to have Jock eat with him and would often wait until the cat was found before beginning a meal.

Presidents of the United States

Several presidents and their families have been cat fanciers. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had cats, and Abraham Lincoln owned a cat named Tabby; Rutherford B. Hayes owned the first Siamese cat in the country. Theodore Roosevelt’s cat, Slippers, was a polydactl (many-toed) cat. A more recent White House resident was a Siamese named Shan, the pet of President Gerald Ford’s daughter, Susan. Bill and Hilary Clinton's cat was called Sox and George W Bush's cat is called India Willie.

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