Love a cat

We need more cat lovers in the country. The cat is a mystical creature with a long and colourful history as a companion of man. It brings as much magic into the home as does a dog. If you are a cat lover, you're probably familiar with many of the myths surrounding cats, such as black cats being particularly lucky or unlucky and cats having nine lives. Did you know that there is an entire branch of prediction called ailuromancy (from the Greek ailouros), which is divination using cats' movements to predict future events. Cats are supposed to be able to see the human aura or life force that is invisible to human eyes and predict ill health or even death. Kittens born in May are supposed to have special supernatural powers.

Here are some unusual historical superstitions and omens pertaining to cats from all over the world.

Cat predictions

A cat sleeping with all its paws tucked under its body foretells of rain on the way.

If the cat is curled up on the ground with its forehead touching the ground it means stormy weather is coming.

A cat sneezing once is said to indicate rain; a cat sneezing three times indicates that the humans of the household will catch a cold.

A cat washing its face on your front doorstep foretells of a visit from a member of the priesthood.

Finding a white hair on a black cat brings good luck.

A cat placed into the empty cradle of a newlywed couple will lead to conception—providing that the cat doesn't jump right back out!

Cats coming into the house foretell of birth and fertility.

If a tortoiseshell cat features in your dreams, you will be lucky in love.

If a cat washes its face in front of a gathering of people, the first person that the cat looks at afterwards will be the first to marry.

If you wilfully kill a cat, you will automatically forfeit your soul to the devil. Whoever kills a cat will never have good luck.

Keeping a black cat at home will protect fishermen at sea.

If a cat is following you it means money is coming your way.

Carrying a cat over a stream or other body of running water is bad luck.

If you see a one-eyed cat, spit on your thumb before pressing it into the middle of your opposite palm while making a wish. Your wish should come true.

If you rub a cat's fur backwards, you'll soon get into a fight.

If the cat washes behind her ear, a stranger will appear. If a cat washes it's ear three times, you can expect a visitor from the direction that it's looking. If a cat is

grooming itself and puts its paw around its right ear, it means a gentleman is coming; left ear, a lady is coming to visit.

If a man dreams of a cat and

the cat scratches him, his sweetheart will be a spiteful termagant. If a woman dreams the same, she has a rival.

A cat following you means money is coming your way.

If you chase away a cat from your house, bad luck is sure to befall you.

If a cat sneezes the day before a wedding, the marriage will be happy.

If a black cat walks under a ladder, the next person to use it will have ill luck.

Animals to the rescue

Human beings are so anxious to know the future that they will use anything for prophecy. Alectryomancy means divination by means of a cock, encircled by grains of corn placed on the letters of the alphabet which are then put together in the order in which the grains were eaten .This was done by the Greeks. The Romans practiced extispicy—looking at animal organs to foretell.

Hippomancy, which means prediction based on a horse's pace or neighing, was practiced by the Celts, who had a horse goddess named Epona. The Bible refers to myomancy or predicting events through the movements of rats—a practice in Egypt and Assyria. Ichythyomancy is divination through fish, which started with the Romans and is still popular with fishermen. Orniscopy is telling the future through the movement and formation of birds in flight and was started by the Greeks who believed that birds were instruments of gods sent specially for this purpose.

While I believe that animals can see much deeper and further than human beings (look at the way they react to weather catastrophes long before they appear) I am not sure I believe in any of these  'sciences'. I would recommend cromniomancy, which is telling the future through the behaviour of onions!

I am in the middle of my election and I shall be looking for omens in everything I see.

Get a cat. They really are magical creatures.

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