Kitten Superstition
As pirates, we do love our kittens. Having a cat or three on board helps keep the rats out of the apple barrel, so to speak. They are also lucky to have in your homes, but beware of one falling overboard! The Leprechaun Pirates often practice with their patron cat, named Kit, a beautiful and adventurous black boy who adopted our drummer a while back.
Kitten Superstition on the High Seas
As our own Dread Pirate Morgaine can attest, having cats on board a Pirate Ship is sure to bring good luck. She has sailed the information seas to find this entry in Wiki
Cats were believed to have miraculous powers that could protect ships from dangerous weather. Sometimes, fishermen’s wives would keep black cats at home too, in the hope that they would be able to use their influence to protect their husbands at sea. It was believed to be lucky if a cat approached a sailor on deck, but unlucky if it only came halfway, and then retreated.
Another popular belief was that cats could start storms through magic stored in their tails. If a ship’s cat fell or was thrown overboard, it was thought that it would summon a terrible storm to sink the ship and that if the ship was able to survive, it would be cursed with nine years of bad luck. Other beliefs included: if a cat licked its fur against the grain, it meant a hailstorm was coming; if it sneezed it meant rain; and if it was frisky it meant wind.
British and Irish sailors considered adopting a black “ship’s cat” because it would bring good luck. Cats eat rodents, which can damage ropes and stores of grain on board, and they are intelligent animals, so a high level of care was directed toward them to keep them happy. A ship’s cat would also create a sense of home and security to sailors who could be away from home for a long time.
What’s In Your Sporran?
We Leprechaun Pirates have an assortment of other cats as well. Five official cats in all add to the luck they bring us on each journey. Clearly we need to write a song about our lucky cats. While we don’t normally keep them in our sporran, we recommend that everyone coming to the Highland Fling this weekend bring their sporran and fill it up with goodies to bring home. And while pirates as a rule don’t wear kilts, you can wear yours and join in the kilt competition. We are continuing our quest to lift the curse that turned us into Leprechauns, so please come and share what ever luck you have with us. We would love to hear your tales of and cat or kitten superstition you ascribe to as well.
Feel free to share our lore about pirates and kitten superstition on the high seas by clicking on a gold doubloon below.
