Why Did People Used to Burn Cats Alive?

Long ago, people believed that cats had magic powers, but not the good kind. They thought cats were connected to evil spirits and witchcraft. If someone in a town was acting strange or bad, they might blame it on a cat. So instead of just chasing away the cat, they took it out into the town square and burned it alive!

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Examples

  1. A cat was tied to a stake and set on fire in the town square
  2. People in a village burned all the black cats they could find
  3. A child who was accused of witchcraft had her cat burned alive

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