kids encyclopedia robot

The Black Cat facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
"The Black Cat"
Poe black cat byam shaw.JPG
Early 20th-century illustration by Byam Shaw
Author Edgar Allan Poe
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) Horror fiction, Gothic literature
Publisher United States Saturday Post''
Media type Print (periodical)

"The Black Cat" is a spooky short story written by the famous American author Edgar Allan Poe. It was first shared with readers on August 19, 1843, in a newspaper called The Saturday Evening Post. This story is known for its dark and mysterious themes, typical of Poe's writing.

The Story of "The Black Cat"

This tale is told by a narrator who claims he is about to die. He wants to share a strange and terrible story about how he changed from a kind person to someone who did very bad things. He especially loved animals, and his favorite pet was a large black cat named Pluto.

Over time, the narrator started to change. He became moody and easily angered. One night, after drinking too much, he hurt Pluto badly. He felt terrible about it later, but his bad behavior continued. In a fit of rage, he did something awful to Pluto, which he deeply regretted.

Soon after, his house burned down, and he lost everything. He saw a strange image on a wall that reminded him of Pluto. Later, he found another black cat that looked very much like Pluto, except for a white patch on its chest. He brought this new cat home, but soon his feelings of guilt and anger returned. He began to fear and dislike the new cat.

The story gets even darker when the narrator, in a moment of extreme anger, causes a terrible accident involving his wife. He tries to hide what he has done. However, the new black cat plays a surprising role in revealing his secret, leading to a shocking discovery by the police. The story explores themes of guilt, madness, and the consequences of bad actions.

When the Story Was First Published

PoeBlackCat1843
First appearance in the United States Saturday Post, August 19, 1843, front page, Philadelphia

"The Black Cat" first appeared in print on August 19, 1843. It was published in a newspaper then known as the United States Saturday Post. People really liked the story right away. It was so popular that other newspapers, like The Baltimore Sun, printed it too that same year. Some writers even made funny versions of the story because it was so well-known.

"The Black Cat" in Movies and More

Aubrey Beardsley - Edgar Poe 2
Illustration for "The Black Cat" by Aubrey Beardsley (1894–1895)

Poe's story has inspired many other works, including movies, comics, and radio shows.

  • In 1910–11, an artist named Gino Severini painted a picture called "The Black Cat" inspired by the story.
  • Universal Pictures made two movies named The Black Cat. One was in 1934 and starred Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. The other was in 1941 with Lugosi and Basil Rathbone. Even though they used the same name, these movies didn't really follow Poe's original story.
  • The story was turned into a seven-page comic strip in Yellowjack Comics #1 in 1944.
  • On September 18, 1947, a radio show called Mystery in the Air featured "The Black Cat" with actor Peter Lorre.
  • Director Roger Corman combined "The Black Cat" with another Poe story, "The Cask of Amontillado," in his 1962 movie Tales of Terror.
  • In 1981, director Lucio Fulci made a movie called The Black Cat, which was also loosely based on Poe's tale.
  • The 1990 film Two Evil Eyes included two Poe stories. One part, "The Black Cat," was directed by Dario Argento and starred Harvey Keitel.
  • In 2007, "The Black Cat" was an episode of the TV series Masters of Horror. This episode showed Poe himself going through events that inspired his famous story.
  • In 2012, a company called Big Fish Games released a mystery video game based on the story, called Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat: Dark Tales.
  • In 2020, a comic book called Edgar Allan Poe's Snifter of Blood #1 featured a funny version of the story called "The Black Dog." In this comic, a dog tells the story instead of a cat.
kids search engine
The Black Cat Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.