Looking great with Olivia

Feline fine

My love of pets is well known, particularly my affection for cats of all colours and characters -they are such great company But not everyone feels the same about felines.

In many cultures, black cats are considered lucky, while others believe they’re linked to the devil. Having a black cat on a ship was a sign of bad luck, and sailors would not put to sea until the cat was removed.

According to the Petcare Information and Advisory Service, in some areas of England the white cat was once regarded as unlucky. But for Hindu people, it’s a different story. They associate white cats with the moon-the cleanser of the night-while the black cat represents the dark night and danger.

Buddhist superstition has it that light-coloured cats ensure there will always be silver in the house-dark-coloured cats mean a steady trail of gold and wealth.

In Scotland and Ireland, tortoiseshell cats - with a pretty patchwork of black, brown and orange are considered to be lucky. By the way, almost all tortoiseshells are females.

The most common cat coat colour is tabby, named after the silk fabrics which originated in the Attabiya quarter of Baghdad.

Recent Australian research has found that cats probably did not arrive after Captain Cook came to our shores, as previously thought. Some may have arrived earlier with Asian visitors to the northern coasts.