the black cat

?The belief that a black cat is lucky exists in Egypt, where all cats, regardless of color, were considered by the pharaohs to be sacred. The goddess Bast, the daughter of Isis, was represented with the face of a cat. . . . Cats were even mummified and buried with their masters. So, it came to pass that a black cat?s crossing one?s path meant good luck. A contrary belief, which arose the Middle Ages in Europe, made the black cat not a thing to be deified but a thing to be associated with witches. There were many who held to the belief that a witch could assume the form of a black cat. So, it came to pass that a black cat?s crossing one?s path meant bad luck.?

?G.B. Wooden, Popular Superstitions: A collection of everyday myths with their picturesque origins, Peter Pauper Press (my favorite), 1970.