I should be so lucky!

I consider myself to be a lucky cat. No matter what adversities have come my way, I have always "landed on my paws". However, I have recently learned that my previous owners' luck changed for the better when I left them, and that caused me some moments of inward reflection and self doubt!
Cats have long been associated with luck. The cat was worshipped in Egypt and to kill one was considered a capital crime and bad luck! When an Egyptian family's cat died, the cat was mummified and the family went into mourning. Romans considered the cat sacred, but by the 17th Century the cat began to be associated with witchcraft and it's luck turned from good to bad - it was popular for a time was to burn cats and other animals on Shrove Tuesday in order to protect one's home from fire and other calamities!

Having a black cat cross your path, is considered good luck in Britain & Japan, whereas if you live in the USA or several European countries, it is bad luck! The "Maneki Neko" (left) or "beckoning cat" is considered very lucky in Japanese culture!
How fickle you humans are! I say just stick with your common Tabby Moggy like me and you cannot go wrong!

Are there any animals which are considered bad luck? Let me tell you the tale of Mr. Whoppit - the "lucky" Bear mascot of Donald Campbell (the land and water speed record holder) http://www.speedbear.co.uk/whoppitandcampbell.htm- he refused to drive unless Whoppit was with him and Whoppit was always the last to be handed on board before a record attempt. Whoppit was with Campbell during his first serious crash and also when Campbell was killed during a record attempt in 1967, whilst driving the jet hydroplane Bluebird K7; Campbell's body wasn't recovered until 2001, although Mr Whoppit floated free and was found almost immediately. In later years, Donald's daughter Gina Campbell also adopted Mr. Whoppit as a mascot for her own water record-breaking attempts. This led to Mr. Whoppit's third high-speed crash. She later offered him for auction, but he failed to reach the reserve, so she had to keep him. The decision to auction off Mr Whoppit was a cause of acrimony between Gina Campbell and Donald's widow Tonia Bern-Campbell, and Mr. Whoppit's last public attendance was Donald's funeral in 2001 in Gina's handbag!

By these accounts M'Lud it would appear Mr. Whoppit is unlucky. The prosecution rests its case.

Case for the defence; from archive photos it is clear that Mr. Whoppit was a hostage to fortune - he didn't want to be there and so bad luck was sure to follow:-

Help me! Exhibit 1

I'll jump if you don't let me go! Exhibit 2

I see dead people! Exhibit 3

Hellllllllllppppppp! No! No! I won't go - You crazed speed freak! Exhibit 4

The defence rests its case!  

"All of us have bad luck and good luck. The man who persists through the bad luck - who keeps right on going - is the man who is there when the good luck comes - and is ready to receive it." (Robert Collier).
Substitute "man" for "bear" and Mr. Whoppit (arguably the "World's Greatest Survivor") is lucky! (just not if your name is Campbell!). "Good" luck/"bad" luck? It all boils down to perception.

So to all you human freaks who believe in good luck superstitions - consider this:-
Dreaming of white cat "means" good luck (American superstition) - Uh, No! It means you ate cheese before bedtime!
If a cat washes behind its ears, it will rain (English superstition) - Uh, No! It means the cat has been out in the rain!
A strange black cat on your porch brings prosperity (Scottish superstition) - Uh, No! The catty word on the street has gone out that you're a soft touch for feeding stray cats, that's all!
To reverse the bad luck curse of a black cat crossing your path, first walk in a circle, then go backward across the spot where it happened and count to 13 - Please GET A LIFE!