Cat burning was a form of zoosadistic entertainment in 17th century Paris, France. People would gather dozens of cats in a net and hoist them high into the air from a special bundle onto a bonfire. Those assembled shrieked with laughter as the animals, howling with pain, were singed, roasted, and finally carbonized.
The people collected the embers and ashes of the fire and took them home, believing that they brought good luck. The French kings often witnessed these spectacles and even lit the bonfire with their own hands. In the medieval and early modern periods, cats, which were associated with vanity and witchcraft, were sometimes burned as symbols of the Devil.
The Daily Omnivore 