Published Mar 17, 2025
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Top of the morning to you, cat lovers! Happy St. Patrick’s Day. This is a day to celebrate all things Irish/Celtic and the color green that is ubiquitous on the Emerald Isle. I have Irish ancestry, but on St. Patrick’s Day, everyone is an honorary part of this lineage.
The Irish have been known throughout the centuries for their storytelling abilities, and not surprisingly, cats are the lead characters in many regional legends – both Irish specifically, and in a broader sense, Celtic. These tales range from spooky and dark to intriguing and silly. So why not curl up with your cat, some soda bread and cabbage, and read about some of the stories about cats across the Atlantic?
1. Cat Sith
Scottish folklore tells the captivating story about a mythical creature called the Cat Sith (Cait Sidhe in Gaelic). This magical animal is a large black cat with a white spot on its chest and eyes that glow in the dark. The Scottish people have viewed Cat Sith as a mystical fairy creature that has an enigmatic presence and supernatural powers. A common belief held that Cat Sith was a witch that could transform into a cat nine times. It seems likely that this belief contributed to the saying that cats have nine lives!
Cat Sith was known for having a mysterious and otherworldly appearance, and some stories suggest that this cat could talk in human speech and stood upright on its hind legs like people. In Scottish funeral customs, some people thought that Cat Sith stole the soul of the deceased before the gods claimed it. To prevent this, families would do things to distract the cat, like playing games.
During the festival of Samhain, which we know as Halloween, people believed that Cat Sith could cross over and roam on Earth. Celtic people would leave out saucers of milk in hopes of Cat Sith blessing them. And, legend has it that Cat Sith haunts the Scottish Highlands as a ghost. Aye!
2. Black Cats Are Good Luck
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Thankfully, Ireland is one of the European countries with the opposite belief of the common superstitious fallacy that black cats bring bad luck. In Ireland, if a black cat crosses your path, many people believe the luck of the Irish will come to you.
And that’s as it should be. I have two black cats and one black and white tuxedo. They most certainly have not brought me any bad luck; these black cats are blessings! In the year 1233, Pope Gregory IX called black cats demons in disguise. We are glad the Irish people saw through that lie and turned it upside down.
So, if you encounter a black cat that needs a home, consider it a wink from the legendary “Luck of the Irish” and adopt it!
3. Calico Cats Can (Sometimes) Cure Warts
Like with black cats, folklore in many cultures, including Ireland, also see the tri-colored calico cat as good luck. According to this Irish legend, rubbing a calico cat’s tail on a wart will cure the wart. As if this weren’t peculiar enough of a legend, it has a very catlike condition: This remedy only works during the month of May. Of course, it does; cats like things on their terms, as we know. So if they are only up for curing warts in May, then we’ll take it. (I’ll stick with tried and true medicine if I ever get a wart.)
4. A Welsh Goddess and Her White Cats
Wales is, like Ireland, a Celtic nation, so we will add this intriguing Welsh tale about Ceridwen, the Welsh goddess of wisdom, inspiration, and prophecy. According to the legend, white cats attended to Ceridwen and carried out the goddess’ orders on Earth.
Now, we all know that cats are far more likely to get humans to do their bidding than to carry out anyone’s orders. Ceridwen was some goddess if she commanded a herd of cats!
5. Oweynagat (Cave of the Cats)
In Ireland’s County Roscommon stands an intriguing archaeological monument called Owynagat, or Cave of the Cats in English. In Irish folklore, the cave serves as an entrance to the underworld, and on Halloween, some people see the cave as a portal to hell.
Steeped in legend and fantasy that is difficult to confirm, some say that Cave of the Cats got its name from the story Briccriu’s Feast, where three magical cats were sent from a cave to go attack two Ulster warriors. Cats are territorial indeed, so I see what inspired this part of the story!
6. King of the Cats
Another intriguing folk story has many versions, but my favorite tells the tale of a traveler who encounters a funeral procession of cats. The felines are carrying a coffin and crying that the King of the Cats was dead. When the farmer comes home and tells his wife about what he saw, their napping family cat rouses jumps up, and proclaims: “Why, that means I am the King of the Cats!” Then, the newly anointed cat disappears in a puff of smoke.
So if you think your cat is extra special and even has some secret magical powers, well … you never know!
If you’re feeling inspired by the prominence of cats in Celtic lore, check out this story we published featuring a list of 150 awesome Irish cat names. Maybe your next cat could have a cool Irish name like Patrick, Blarney, Paddy, or Banshee – wouldn’t that be cute?
Unfortunately, it is not the case nowadays. Apart from the difficulty to find a vet that does not tey to con you in Ireland, there is a really worrying hate against cats. I can’t even remember how many times I heard landlords talking pests about cats and refusing to rent accommodation. I had to leave on the last property viewing because I would have put my foot in that guys ignorant mouth. There is still quite a lot of people scared of cats…so behind…it breaks my heart. Lets hope they learn something from your article and start closing vet clinics full of incompetents causing pain to guardians. Just take a look at the google reviews. Its scary.