It seems like whenever humans talk about the heat this time of year, someone brings up the “Dog Days of Summer.” Some folks thought they were called that because all dogs want to do this time of year is lay around avoiding the heat. The official Dog Days are July 3 – August 11, so they just ended. In the Northern Hemisphere, they generally coincide with the hottest days of the year.
The Dog Days actually refer to Sirius, the Dog Star. Sirius is part of the constellation Canis Major (the Greater Dog). It is the brightest star visible from any part of Earth. In the summer, it rises and sets with the Sun. On July 23, it actually rises and sets in conjunction with the Sun.
Because it is so bright, the ancient Romans believed that it actually gave off heat, adding to the Sun’s warmth. It was their explanation for why that part of the year was so excessively hot. (In reality, it is too far away to provide any warmth.) The Dog Days of Summer refers to the 20 days before and the 20 days after the alignment of Sirius with the sun.
But enough about dogs, their days have ended for this year. Let’s move on to something a little more interesting. We are only a few days away from the beginning of Cat Nights. There is an old Irish legend that witches could turn themselves into cats. If they did it eight times, all was well. But a witch tried it a ninth time on August 17 and couldn’t turn back. She was permanently turned into a cat. This legend was the beginning of the belief that cats have nine lives. People also noticed that cats are particularly “yeowly” this time of year. They attributed it to wanting to return to witch form. More likely it has to do with the hot weather.
There’s even a poem associated with it:
Cat Nights
By old Irish lore
on the 17th of August
more cats are among us
than ever before.
It is said that witches
can turn into a cat.
But no more than eight switches
as a matter of fact.
On the ninth switch
they cannot regain
their life as a witch.
A cat they must remain.
So if in mid August
you should hear the cats yowl
amongst sounds of the locust
when cats are on the prowl
Then you will know
as lore was told over time
that cats will show
lives as many as nine.
By V. Neumann
And let’s not forget that it’s also the time of year for Leo cats. Leo the lion is the zodiac sign that most closely resembles the domestic cat. Leos are born between July 23 and August 22 and are ruled by the sun. Their element is fire, their metal is gold, and their colors are orange and gold. They are born rulers. (Mom says she’s a Leo, but we don’t believe her. There is nothing orange about her.)
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Leo cats are regal. They are full of confidence, and tend to enter a room with a royal bearing. They are loyal to their subjects and love their humans. As long as they are treated as royalty, all will be well in the kingdom.
They enjoy the finer things in life and prefer to have things their way. They love their humans, and are usually confident around visitors. They are loving family members. But they have a tendency to not be very patient. They love to be groomed and hate being laughed at. They have an inner jungle cat that needs a lot of play time.
As a fire sign, Leos like to be warm. Doesn’t matter if it’s a fireplace, sun puddle or warm blanket. They are generally not great at sharing. (After all, they are royalty.) They like to be in charge of whatever is going on.
As you can see, the beginning of summer may have belonged to the dogs, but we are now in cat season.
Pictures courtesy of Google Images.
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