Bats, Cats & Witch Hats
Bats, Cats & (Witch) Hats Oh MY
Why did I choose this? Well one they rhymed, and 2 I have a black cat, in the Society and I like bats. (plus my cat looks like one when laying she's upside down)
What do I have here for you? A little information on the black cat, vampire bats and a little general information on bats as well, some goodies.
This will be an ongoing article, I will add to it as I find more information to add to it.
I dont care what you say they're cute!
Going Batty
I don't care what you say, THEY'RE CUTE
Ok so I'll be honest, Most like the fruit bat are cute, then others (& maybefor you) like the vampire bat not so much. What's the difference between a bat & a vampire bat, their nose. The Vampire Bat's nose looks sort of a triangle version of a pig's nose. Vampire bats are native to Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Chille. They DO drink blood, but only three species do. The Commn, White Wingged, and hairy Legged Vampire bats.
They tend to live in colonies in very dark places like old wells, caves, hollow trees. They feed on mammals, and the White wingged and hairy legged ones feed on birds. Their colonies range from 100 up to 2,000, a colony of 100 bats can suck the blood of 25 cows in a year. The vampire bat can run, jump & walk, things other bat species can not. They suck one's blood for 30 minutes and therefore not able to kill their host by draining them. IN t he wild, they can live up to 9 years however in captivity they can live up to 20 years.
Dracula and in some other movies & vampire novels; Vampires are able to shape shift into the flying rodent.
On a seperate note The bat population is dwindling, over 5 or 6 million bats have passed due to a nasty fungus called Geomyces Destructants, also known as White nose disease. A white fungus that grows on their noses so they are not able to breath and suffocate.
Alot of the colonies in the New York area are close to extinction, Its not only in New York but across the United States. The Northeast, in the south to Alabama, west to Missouri, and four of the Canadian Provinces. The mortality rate is around 95%, and the fungus has no treatment or means of prevention yet. When coming out of caves Clothing and equipment must be Decontaminated.
This fall of the bat population could be the reason there seems to be so many mosquitoes in the past years.
Bat Anatomy
Oh I love that baby Bat! too cute!
Dog or Bat?
Black Cats
a Ridgid flexed back
warning the air,
Keep away
and feed me fish
or I'll cross your path
and bad luck
will be yours in a flash
©Kim Marie Ostrowski
For as far back as the Halloween celebrations go, the Black cat has been a symbol of the holiday.
The superstitious fear being based in Ole Erie itself, Ireland.
Halloween or Hallow-even is traditionally celebrated in Ireland to appease the spirit world in hopes they will not become hostile and harm with illnesses, failed crops or some other calamity.
Cats mainly being nocturnal, and beig there were no street lights at the time. All cats that came out at night were through to be black and carry the lost wandering spirits.
Black cats are considered GOOD LUCK in some regions like Japan, Australia, Britain, and Scandinavian countries. The most famous place being Egypt, the home of the Cat God Bast (or Bastet). THe Egyptians worshipped cats and held them in such high regards that it was punishable by death if any harm came to one! After the death of a cat in Egypt, its funeral preperations were taken care of and as much care was taken for theirs as humans! From the Sarcophegus, embalming, and preservation. Yes there are mummified cats.
On the other hand, for shame on Itialians! Killing thousands of black cats every year because they still think they have something to do with the devil, and are an omen of bad luck.
In areas where witchcraft was a problem, black cats are still considered bad luck. They were considered to be the best pet for a witch being they were nocturnal. (not all witches are into black magic. There are nature witches and White witches and alot of us do our work at both ends of the clock!) The reason for this is many thought that a witch's did much of her business in the mystery of night. The 1400's is when the black cat went from pet to be thought of as a Witch's "familiar". They were thought to be shape-shifters, and servants that allowed the witch to change form to avoid any capture. When a witch was burned at the stake, her familiar was as well being as the executioner could not be sure if it was another witch. (some other witch familiars were Frogs, & Owls)
Basically anything of darkness has always been considered evil in many parts throughout history. The black cat superstition flip flops dependig on what region you are in. Sometimes it is good luck, others bad luck. Some believe a white cat can be bad luck! one of the superstitions about a black cat is if it enters your home uninvited, you will receive good luck, but if you ask it to leave the luck will change to bad.
Oh yeah and for one example of bad luck, ask any Chicago Cubs baseball fan about their series against the 1969 New York Mets. A black cat entered Shea Stadium, and the cat walked in, circled the cubs and was on his way. This lead to the Cubs demise and the Mets' success
My Sully Cat
Blue Moon were cat
This lens was featured on a Monster Board
Black Hat Society
Est. 1692
The Salem Witch trials (as well as the others around the world) to me was a mixture of Politics & a bunch of uneducated religious zealots that had nothing better to do but point fingers at each other.
If I were to write the full story, I couldn't do it justice, so here I'll include a few links that instead of repeating what they all say you can just collect your hat, broom & Familiar, and pass go.
