Cats in Gothic Stories

After finishing The Rats in the Wall, I  realize that just like old Victorian houses, cats are also a repeated object/ character in gothic stories such as Poe's Black Cat. In both of these literature pieces, the cat originally acts as the protagonists friends, and with several twist of climatic events, the cats  eventually become not a part of  the protagonist, but a part of  the fear that happens with the story themselves. In the Rats in the Wall,  the cat eventually parts from the protagonist at the end when he is left in prison. This also happens in Poe's gothic literature when he becomes obsessed with his cat. So the big question that occurred to me was "why cats out of all animals?" If you can think of any gothic stories with an animal, the odds are, it's a cat. I believe the reason for this is because cats are the  perfect connection for gothic stories to connect with nature. Cats are mysterious and they seem to have lots going through their mind. Also, many authors are able to connect ominous words with cats such as "creeping" or "yellow eyes," neither of these descriptions fit the ideal image of a similar pet like the dog. Cats are also naturally nocturnal, therefore it is the perfect animal to connect with gothic stories.