The other major superstition associates black cats with bad luck and, by extension, death. Once again, this belief has its roots in the Middle ages when it was thought that not only dark cat fur colors but any dark colored animals were linked with death.

In 16th-century Italy, for example, if a black cat were to lie down on someone’s sickbed, it was thought that death (or rather Death with a capital “D”) was about to pay them a visit.

In modern times, some of us still hang onto the belief that if a black cat crosses your path, you’ll be in for some bad luck. Similarly, a white cat crossing your path is said to bring good luck. But do you know what we think? We believe that a cute cat crossing your path is definitely great luck.

When we take a closer look at different cultures, we realize that they have different understandings of what encountering a black cat means. For instance, in ancient Egypt, darker cat colors were considered good luck, protected you from disease, and gave a boost to your fertility.

Meanwhile, in Japan, spotting a black cat means that you’ll have luck finding love. While seeing a cat on your porch or in your doorway implies that you’ll be prosperous soon. Similarly, in France, seeing a black cat meant that something magical was about to happen.

It’s great to know that not all superstitions are stereotypically negative. Especially considering how many black cats we’ve crammed into this list!