Thanks to Ann from Zoolatry for the graphic
Image Pixabay
Image Wikimedia Commons
Today, it’s Talk Like A Pirate Day, and we chose to tell you about pirate cats.
The cat was very useful to eliminate the rats which teemed on boat, but nevertheless, his reputation remained ambiguous.
In Brittany, you should not see a cat before leaving on sea at the risk of seeing your trip cancelled. A black cat brought bad luck to French people, but he was welcome on board by English people. He was common to have also one at home, because we believed that nothing would arrive at the sailor as long as the cat would be fed well and be safe.
If a cat embarked by himself, he was accepted on the ship, because his eviction risked to provoke storms. We also thought that if the cat of the ship was thrown overboard, a storm would get up and a terrible bad luck would follow.
If the cat of the ship approached a sailor, it was a sign of good luck. But if the cat turned back before arriving towards the sailor, this one knew that a misfortune would soon arrive to him.
Pirates thought that cats could predict the weather. A cat who waved his tail announced a storm, a cat who sneezed announced the rain, a playful cat announced a lively wind, a cat who licked himself against the grain announced a storm of hail. Some sailors claimed that a cat was more reliable than a barometer.
Polydactiles cats were considered as very lucky. We believed that their additional fingers made them better mousers and allowed them to have a better balance in case of reeling.
Be ye ready fer boardin’ ?
