*When you see a one-eyed cat, spit on your thumb, stamp it in the middle of your palm, and make a wish. The wish will come true.

*If you kick a cat, you probably will develop rheumatism in that leg.

*Some people believe that if a cat washes its face and paws in the parlor, company's coming.

*In Britain and Australia black cats are considered lucky, and in some places white cats are correspondingly unlucky. In many parts of Europe and in the United States, however, it is the black cat that is an ill omen.

*A stray tortoiseshell cat coming into your home brings misfortune but in Britain tortoiseshell cats will bring their owners luck, and blue cats bring luck in Russia.

*To meet a black cat is usually fortunate, especially if it crosses one's path. In some districts the luck is only considered released if the cat is politely greeted, or stroked three times. Sometimes it is considered unlucky if the cat runs away from the person, or turns back on its own tracks.

*An old saying about black cats is: "Whenever the cat of the house is black, the lasses of lovers shall have no lack".

*If a black cat comes into a house or onto a ship, it is considered a very lucky sign, and the cat should never be chased away in case it takes the luck of the house with it.

*It was said that if the household cat sneezed near a bride on her wedding day, she would have a happy married life.

*Seamen avoid saying the word 'cat' while at sea, but to have a cat on board is lucky, especially if it is a completely black cat with no white hairs. To throw the cat overboard raises an immediate violent storm; no sailor would do such a thing to the ship's cat, and in fact cats are rarely left on an abandoned ship but are generally rescued with the sailors.

*If a cat is meowing on a ship there will be trouble on the voyage.

*If a cat is crying before you leave for a journey, return and find out what it wants, otherwise bad luck will plague you.

*In Yorkshire, if a sailor's wife kept a black cat, her husband would always return safely from the sea; this sometimes led to black cats being stolen.

*It was said that every cat should be given two names; a country rhyme states - "One for a secret, one for a riddle, name puss twice and befuddle the devil". This saying was based on the belief that one person could gain power and ascendancy over another simply by knowing his or her real name; by giving the household cat two names, one for common use and one secret and never to be revealed to outsiders, the pet which had the run of the household would be protected from becoming a tool of evil or of outside infiltration.

*If a cat sneezes three times in a row it portends a cold for the cat's owner but if it sneezes only once it is a lucky sign for the household.

*Some people believe that cats engage in astral travel even in life. They also believe that if a cat adopts you, it will stay with you forever, even after death.

*A cat washing itself in a doorway means a clergyman is due to visit. *Any cat that is purchased will never be any good for catching mice.