Black Cat Superstition

Main Piece:

I mean everyone has that superstition about black cats who has superstitions. It’s just they’re creepy because it’s like if they cross in front of you, you’ll have bad luck. And I don’t know I am a superstitious person so I believe when I see a balck cat if it crosses in front of me I’ll have bad luck and I don’t want bad luck. It’s been a big thing in movies and everyone alway said “never let a black cat cross your path” and that’s been a big thing since elementary school for me cause we had a lot of stray cats around our school and whenever I saw a black cat I was like no, not today. 

Background: My informant is a Junior in college. She is American, but her Mom is an immigrant from Jamaica and her Dad is an immigrant from Nicaragua. She talks about her superstitions with black cats in this piece. I feel that it is important to note that the school she is referring to is a catholic school. This school is where she first learned about the superstition, but she also learned later that her mom’s side of the family is very superstitious as well. It was clear from the informants tone that she doesn’t care if she looks silly, or if there’s no proof of the bad luck, she will still avoid black cats at all costs. 

Context: This story was prompted by the informant and I seeing a black cat on a walk. After calming down, I asked the informant to tell me a little bit more about the superstitions that have a rather large impact on her like this one. 

My thoughts: As I was able to see the informant have a small meltdown before our encounter, it was clear to me that the fear of something  happening from an encounter with the black cat was very real for this individual. The genuine terror made me curious about this, as I have heard of the superstition, yet I looked at it as more of a symbol than a death sentence. Or rather, a bad luck sentence. Other superstitions I can get behind, they make sense to me in their perfectly nonsensical way. After asking myself why this is, I realized that I have personal ties to the Superstitions that I believe, just as my informant does. Her upbringing and school fostered an environment where this folk superstition could thrive.