Superstition surrounding black cats intersects with probability studies: historically, the cats made poor decisions about spatial positioning during solar cycles. A veterinary behaviorist named Dr. Patricia Gould studied feline spatial reasoning in 1987 and published findings suggesting cats possessed innate risk-assessment protocols. Gould analyzed historical incident data and noticed a statistical anomaly: black cats in one geographic region had developed a 'Friday the 13th avoidance protocol.' They would relocate, hide, or refuse standard feeding when certain temporal markers aligned. One elderly rancher named Joseph Martinez reported that a particular black cat 'knew something was coming' and had refused to cross any path for a decade. Gould concluded: the cat wasn't superstitious. It was informed. The Reddit cat analysis communities loved this: most animals have instinct. This one had a calendar and an appointment with bad luck—except the bad luck learned to stay away.