By Marina de Regt – For a month, I have been in Cairo as a visiting fellow at the Netherlands-Flemish Institute. I am here to finish a number of publications and to do preliminary research about Yemeni migrants and refugees. Yemen and Egypt have had close relationships for decades, but the number of Yemenis in Egypt has rapidly increased since the outbreak of the war in Yemen in 2015.
The institute is a very pleasant place. It was established in 1971 and provides a unique opportunity for those interested in the Middle East, and in Egypt in particular, to do research, follow Arabic language classes, spend time in the library, and attend lectures, workshops, and film screenings. Moreover, the institute has a small guesthouse on the third floor where there are four rooms that can be booked by researchers from all over the world. There is a shared kitchen and two bathrooms and a nice terrace with comfortable chairs and two tables.
Over the past few weeks, I enjoyed spending time on the terrace. I would open the doors to the terrace after waking up and look at the clear sky. The children of the school next door would start singing the Egyptian anthem, and I would have breakfast outside and slowly get ready for the day. However, these days are over. Last Sunday, a black cat showed up on the terrace and entered my room, where I was reading on my bed. He jumped on the bed, and I caressed him, as I love cats. He lay under my desk, which was also fine with me, but when he entered the kitchen just as I wanted to go to bed, I put him outside the main entrance to the terrace. He was, however, back in a minute and started to meow loudly. I decided to take him downstairs with the elevator, which was fairly easy as he followed me everywhere. But as soon as I got back, he was back as well.
Over the past few days, the cat has been harassing others in the institute. It entered the office spaces, the classrooms, and the rooftop, where students were having a calligraphy class. The students did not mind the cat, but as soon as the cat saw me, it ran behind me. And it scared me. The evening before, the cat had almost bitten me in my ankle when I tried to eat a sandwich. I ran away and closed all the doors. Was the cat after me or after the food? There was something in its behavior and its gaze that terrified me.
According to some belief systems, black cats symbolize mystery, magic, or danger and are associated with the supernatural. Black cats figure in folkloristic stories, in novels, and in (horror) films in many parts of the world. Here in Egypt, black cats are not regarded as bringing bad luck. In fact, Muslims see cats, regardless of their color, as ritually pure animals, and they are even accepted inside mosques, in contrast to dogs. There are thus many cats in Cairo. In ancient Egypt, black cats were even revered and considered sacred. They were believed to bring blessings, good luck, and divine protection.
The housekeepers and guards at the institute know almost all the cats around. They told me that there are seven black cats in the neighborhood, but this one arrived recently. “It is a male cat, and there is something wrong with him,” they told me. They are trying their best to get rid of the cat, but to no avail. The cat is coming back time and again, finding its way to climb on the roof and jump on the terrace. It tries to open the doors and has successfully done so, which is why I now keep the doors to the terrace closed.
Yesterday morning, I tried to make peace with the cat and allowed it to give me headbutts for a little while, but when it jumped onto the mug in my hand and almost bit me, I gave up. Maybe this cat is a djinn, a spirit well-known in Islam that can appear in human and non-human forms. In that case, I am afraid only a ritual can help us to get rid of it…
Marina de Regt is working at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology of VU.
Hi Marina, during my research in the 1970s and 1980s in rural Tunisia, I also encountered the notion of cats as jinns. Women who had recently given birth, in particular, can be troubled by a special jinn, who, as a cat, can bring misfortune. Many postpartum problems can be explained by this. New mothers should therefore avoid cats, especially black cats. But older people and men should also be careful. “Black cats are never to be trusted.” A ritual, for example, involving incense, can protect you, and an amulet can prevent problems from recurring later. I’ve done that, and I’ve never had any problems!
Wow, wat een mooie reactie en wat bijzonder dat zwarte katten in Tunesie wel als gevaarlijk worden gezien. Hier heb ik daar niets over gehoord.
A ritual has been performed, involving a candle, raisin offerings, tarot cards, and a recitation from the Qur’an.
A plea in defence of black cats: I’ve owned them, loved them, witnessed their lives from close by. Very likely, they are spirits, or jinns, or minor-rank-deities, or whisker-wearing apus (sort of well intented mountain-guards in Bolivia). But they are benign! At least, most of them are! They bring good things, promising auguries, and produce smiles! So, let us be kind to animals, to cats in particular, and to black cats even more in particular.
Thanks for the response, Ton. You are right, we must be kind to animals and cats in particular, but they should also be kind to us! Good news: in the meantime the cat has been taken to the vet, and happened to need an operation. The poor thing must have been in pain, and may have been looking for attention (in the wrong way though). He will also be castrated so that he hopefully will become even sweeter than he may have used to be. And they will find him a good home!