Cats were once regarded as sacred animals in Ancient Egypt. This animal is also a symbol in the Vietnamese zodiac and part of the local cuisine in some Far East countries. However, cats are nowadays among the most- favorite pets worldwide. Sometimes, cats are mischievous, self-willed and even revengeful, but they are above all symbol of coziness. Those who share their homes with cats know well that those animals behave as if they are the real owners of the house. If that animal was able to speak, it would probably say things we would not like to hear.

Once, ancient people believed that shortly after the creation of the world animals were able to speak languages. However, God deprived them from that gift and left it to humans only and since then animals have been communicating in their own language. “According to ancient beliefs, the Snake King keeps a ring under its tongue.  The legend also has it that those who manage to gain possession of that ring and put it on their fingers will be able to understand animal languages”, celebrated Bulgarian ethnographer Dimitar Marinov wrote after visiting different villages in Northwest Bulgaria. When humans lost communication with animals they became their enemies. The animals who fought humans settled in mountains and forests and those who were friendly with people became their pets. However, most superstitions built a negative image of the cat.

“The only benefit from having a cat at home is the fact that it hunts mice. People keep cats at home, because they want to get rid of mice, rather than because they love those animals”, Dimitar Marinov further writes. Unlike dogs, cats are not devoted to people.  Sometimes cats are filled with hatred and mistrust towards their masters and do not like being criticized. In that respect, cats are the exact antipode to dogs. According to some beliefs, if cats enter peoples' dreams, something bad is likely to happen and if cats scratch people in their dreams, they are likely to enter into a row with someone.

Cats bond with the place they live in. Unlike dogs, if their owners leave their home, cats are not willing to follow them to their new home. According to some folk songs, roosters like to stay on the fence, dogs are left in the yard to guard the house and cats are usually sleeping nearby the stove. Some beliefs have it that when people pass away and go to inferno cats bring wood to the fire lit under the cauldron, in order to make their owners suffer longer. On the contrary, dogs bring water to extinguish that fire. When their master dies, dogs cry and cats are filled with happiness. This was how hostility between those two animal species emerged. That is why when two people are often in a row we usually say that they fight like cats and dogs. Those who are not willing to admit their mistakes, even if they are quite obvious, are usually compared with cats. In that case we say A Cat Always Lands on Its Feet (or A Cat Never Lands on Its Back). Another saying reads: I Stepped on The Cat's Tail, which means that someone raises a painful topic.

Once, people believed that bad weather was coming if cats basked by the fire. According to other beliefs, guests would visit the house, if cats were cleaning themselves with their paws. Another superstition has it that people should measure the cat's tail with a spindle, in order to keep their pet at home. According to one of the most popular beliefs, a black cat crossing our path always brings bad luck. That is why we say even nowadays that A Black Cat Crossed Our Path when things go wrong. In Bulgaria black cats are usually associated with the city of Gabrovo (the capital of humor and satire). Each year a colorful carnival procession is held on May 17 in that city. The procession is headed by the city symbol - a huge black cat. There are numerous stories about the citizens of Gabrovo who are popular with their thriftiness. For instance, according to one belief, they cut the tails of their cats, because they do not want to keep the door open for too long. Thus, they would spend less money on heating.

And here are several Ban folk songs telling stories of cats:

English version: Kostadin Atanasov