In a widely known Western superstition, a black cat crossing a person’s path is often considered unlucky.
The belief developed from older European associations between black cats, witchcraft, and supernatural forces. During periods when witchcraft was feared, cats—especially black ones—could be portrayed as companions or transformed forms of witches. Those ideas helped create the image of the black cat as an omen.
The superstition is not universal. In parts of Britain, Ireland, Japan, and elsewhere, a black cat can be viewed as lucky, particularly when it enters a home or crosses someone’s path. Even within countries that treat the animal as unlucky, interpretations vary by region and circumstance.
Modern black-cat folklore is often reinforced by Halloween imagery and popular fiction. The superstition should not be confused with evidence about animal behavior: a cat’s coat color does not predict future events. Black cats are ordinary domestic cats whose coloring results from genetic variation.