Les Mystères de l’UNIL - the mystery of black cats.

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During the weekend of 24-25th May 2025, Maël Theubet, under the supervision of Prof. Christine Mohr, has animated a workshop in the context of les Mystères de l’UNIL! This science festival is held every year, organised for both children and adults, and is a great opportunity to discover the fascinating topics studied at University of Lausanne.

During his PhD, Maël studies peoples’ beliefs on animals. This time, he looked closer at the beliefs people have about black cats. Although most cats are liked, considered cute, and feature an immense number of eagerly watched and shared YouTube videos, there is a certain mystery to the connotations of black cats. These, for some reason, are associated with bad luck, witchcraft and are the subject of many superstitions.

Durring the workshop, Maël discussed this phenomenon, and tried to understand, together with the workshop participants, where does the bad reputation of black cats come from.