Black cats get a bad rap for being bad luck, especially if you cross one’s path, mainly for being loosely associated with witchcraft. People in the middle ages believed that witches existed and practiced black magic. They also believed that it was often old women who were women and performed black magic. Older women were also known to take care of alley cats. According to legend, a father and son in Lincolnshire in the 1560s saw a black cat cross their path. The pair threw rocks at the cat, which ran into a woman’s house who was suspected of being a witch. The father and son saw the woman the next day walking with a limp and so began the thought that witches turned into black cats at night. Interestingly many humane societies won’t accept adoptions for black cats in the days before Halloween for fear that they will be used in a ritual, though humane societies mostly institute a moratorium on black cat adoptions since may people want to adopt one as an accessory to their costume. Stay on your cat's good side by cleaning up after it with these handy tips.