We have two cats although I am so not a cat person - in fact no one in the family is really a cat person, so it's a good thing there are two of them: they keep each other company while we do more interesting things.

But this woman is a cat person mucho grande and she has compiled her annual Meankitty gallery of Halloween felines for your perusal and edification, with awards in such important categories as Spookiest Meankitty, Witchiest Looking Meankitty, Most Ghostly Meankitty, Most Vampiric Meankitty (my fave, looks like a gremlin), Meankitty with Halloweeniest Name, Meankitty with Biggest Teeth, and the like.

Here is some black cat lore:

If a black cat crosses your path, you will have bad luck. This is a very common unproven belief in America.

King Charles I of England owned a black cat, whom he valued very much. He treasured the cat so much that he had his guards watch over it 24 hours a day. As luck would have it, the day after the cat died from an illness, the king was arrested.

Some believe black cats are witches in disguise.

Others believe black cats are witches familiars. (Beings that aid witches in performing their craft.)

Fisherman's wives kept black cats while their husbands went away to sea. They believed that the black cats would prevent danger from occurring to their husbands. These black cats were considered so valuable that they were often stolen.

As a sailor walked up a pier, any cat running ahead of him could bring him luck. If any cat crossed his path, it would mean bad luck.

Sailors kept cats on board ships to bring them luck.

If the ship cat approached a sailor, it meant good luck. If the cat approached halfway and went away, bad luck would surely follow.

If a cat was thrown overboard, a storm would rise and very bad luck would follow.

Various cat parts were also though to be good medicine for a wide range of illnesses.

Some believed that black cats carried demons.

Some believe that black cats have special powers and abilities.

In Australia and Britain, black cats are though to be lucky.

Another belief states: A bride will have a happy married life if a black cat sneezes near her on her wedding day.

All cats were thought to be sacred in ancient Egypt.

Back in ancient days, the Druids thought black cats were human beings. These humans in cat form were being punished for evil deeds.

Some believed that black cats could fly on a broom stick.

All cats, was claimed by Inquisitor Nicolas Remy, to be demons. In 1387 Lombard Witches were said to worship the devil as a cat and medieval christians exposed cats to torture and fire along with witches. However the cats had their revenge for such injustices known as the Black plague, a form of bubonic plague. Had the church let their people keep their cats, the fleas on the rats which overran the cities may not have brought Europe to its knees. The plague was instead blamed on Vampires.