A black cat is a feline whose fur is uniformly all black, or almost all black. It is not a particular breed of cat and may be mixed or of a specific breed. The all-black pigmentation is equally prevalent in both male and female cats. In Western history, black cats have often been looked upon as a symbol of evil omens: in other cultures they are considered to be good omens. Black cats have been found to have lower odds of adoption in American shelters compared to other colours (except brown). Witchcraft and superstition Historically, black cats were symbolically associated with witchcraft and evil. In Hebrew and Babylonian folklore, cats are compared to serpents, coiled on a hearth. The cat was worshipped in Egypt and to kill one was a crime punishable by death. When an Egyptian family's cat died, the cat was mummified and the family went into mourning. Romans, also, considered the cat sacred and introduced the animal into Europe. In most European countries, except Britain and Ireland, a black cat crossing one's path is considered bad luck; they were also seen by the church as associated with witches. Black cats (and sometimes, other animals of the same colour, or even white cats)[ were sometimes suspected of being the familiars of witches. Black cats were believed to be shape shifters, that witches could transform into them by saying a spell and travel about doing evil things unnoticed. According to sources[who?] witches took such good care of their cats for this reason and it was rumoured[vague] that they even fed them the blood of babies to stay youthful and agile. As the cat was a form of its witch owner, it was believed that harming a cat would directly harm the witch. Many people during the Middle Ages also believed that the devil regularly took the form of a black cat, and on holy days, such as Easter, black cats were routinely hunted down and burned. By the 17th Century the cat began to be associated with witchcraft and became a symbol of bad luck. The superstitions that surround the black cat are some of the most widely known and popular.[weasel words] In Scotland, an unfamiliar black cat on the porch of a house is regarded as a sign of upcoming prosperity for its inhabitants In Ireland, a black cat crossing someone's path in the moonlight is taken by some as an omen of an epidemic illness. In Italy hundreds of years ago, it was believed that if a black cat lay on the bed of a sick person, that person would die.] Many years ago in England, fishermen's wives kept black cats in their homes while their husbands went away to sea in their fishing boats. The housewives believed that the black cats would prevent danger from occurring to their husbands while they were away. In places which saw few witch hunts, black cats retained their status as good luck, and are still considered as such in Britain and Ireland. They are also considered to be good luck on ships. However in Romanian and Indian culture, especially in the historical region of Moldavia in Romania and everywhere in India, one of the strongest superstitions still feared by many people is that black cats crossing their path represents bad luck, despite the fact that these regions were never affected by witch hunts or anti-paganism.[citation needed] An identical superstition survives also in Central Europe, such as the Czech Republic. There are also still myths and superstitions in America about black cats, and especially their bones, which are believed to hold magical powers. There is an Internet black market for the sale of black cat bones to be used in various ways to bring luck and power to the bearer of the bone. It is possible that black cats assumed an unlucky association in Western Europe, indirectly because of the Islamic story of Mohammad's black cat, Muezza. Anecdotally at least, given the stories crusaders may have[weasel words] brought back to Western Europe from the Holy Land, Catholics may have] come to associate the black cat with what they'd believe to be the false prophet. Mohammad indeed had a high regard for cats in general, and this is reflected in modern Muslim attitudes to cats. The story goes that Muezza was Mohammad's favourite cat, and was black all over. He loved him so much, that when sleeping on his coat he cut around Muezza so as not to wake him.