July 17, 2006 at 12:00 am #34864
Jocelyn J.
Participant
A lot of it has to do with superstitions passed down. Many old wives’ tales see cats as evil, sneaky, and sometimes as witches and animals of the night. True, cats are mostly nocturnal but they are not evil. Most Blacks are typically exposed to dogs rather than cats. Cats tend to be aloof and jumpy around people and are not as immediately affectionate and that has a lot to do with it whereas a dog will love you very quickly. Most lower-class and non-exposed see cats as something dangerous that will ‘claw and scratch’ and ‘suck the air from you baby’ amongst other irrational fears about them. Most of it is simply passed down in the culture but it is slowly changing.