These dark creatures brought fear to people of the Middle Ages. They were, and still seems to be, the preferred familiar of witches. The Islamic tradition is one tradition that looks at black cats unfavorably.
"If a black cat crossed a person's path without harming them, this indicated that the person was then protected by the devil."
Black cats aren't always associated with bad luck. They are wiewed as magical in many countries. In certain places they are cures for a woman's painful menrtruation, the black cat's spleen was supposed to be the cure. In other cases, their blood was used as powerful potions (not so good for the cat). If you tease a balck cat it would bring this individual harm. For example, in Persia people believed thaht the black cat was hemzid (a genius born at the same moment as a person, this cat is understood to be that persons guardian).
