Odd sources for things with possible HP importance

[naama]

No: HPFGUIDX 7044

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, "Scott " <harry_potter00 at y...> 
wrote:
<snip>
> 
> Also in another book, strangely enough one about the breeds of 
cats, 
> I found a caption that read-
> 
> "During the Middle Ages, cats suffered terrible persecution at the 
> hands of superstitious people who believed that witches could 
change 
> themselves into cats and back again at will. So many cats were 
burned 
> alive that the species was almost extinct in Europe in 1400.  These 
 
> witches are depicted accompanied by a cat, a dog, a mouse and an 
owl- 
> their 'familiars', or demons in the form of animals.
> 
> I thought that was interesting, esp. the last sentence...not sure 
how 
> reliable either of these sources are though. Anyway it's something 
to 
> chew over.
> 

The last one is true. I've read about it also somewhere (I 
also remember the horrible drawings of hanged cats). 
As a cheerful addendum to that, think on the outcome - the cat 
paranoia was one of the reasons that Europe was overrun with rats; 
which was a major reason for the onslought of the Plague (rats are 
the carriers of the disease). 

Naama