Many cultures have associated cats with ghosts, spirits, and the afterlife.
For whatever reason, people have had some pretty strong opinions on these domesticated animals over the years.
Let’s travel back in time and examine how the historical link between cats and spirits may be why some people believe they’re capable of seeing ghosts.
In Medieval Europe, the fear of witchcraft was widespread. It was commonly believed that witches, and even the devil, could take the form of a cat at will. For this reason, cats have had a pretty bad reputation.
However, not everyone wrote off cats completely. Even if they didn’t enjoy the household status as cute companions as they do today, they were still seen as useful animals to keep for maintaining rodent populations.
The Pilgrims regarded the black cat as a companion to witches, who were widely believed to be in line with witchcraft and the Devil.
While other colored cats would have been welcome on the ship and in their homes due to their ability to kill unwanted rodents, black cats often met an untimely end.
Hundreds of years ago, when Thailand was called Siam, Siamese cats were beloved members of the royal family. In fact, they were so treasured that only royalty was allowed to have them as pets.
Siam royalty believed that when a member of their noble family passed away, a Siamese cat would acquire their soul. Because of this, these beautiful cats were thought to hold special powers and were treated to a very luxurious lifestyle.