After my oldest cat Mac died, there was no question of “replacing” him with another cat. He had a large and impressive personality and nobody will ever take his place. But I’ve been volunteering at a local no kill shelter for six months now, and since the first night I’ve wanted to make 8-year-old all-black Nakana part of our family.
The moment we “locked eyes,” it was love at first sight—at least on my part. Soon after I began to work with the cats in the cat roaming room, Nakana developed ringworm and had to be isolated. I don’t work with the cats in isolation because I don’t want to risk bringing home an illness to my elderly cats. For months she stayed in that room because she just couldn’t shake the ringworm. Apparently, stress makes the ringworm more difficult to eradicate.
After she recovered, she was taken to PetSmart, in hopes that she would be adopted. But there she sat for another couple of months! This was at least Nakana’s second time around at the shelter (after having been returned by someone). I started stopping by PetSmart to wave at Nakana. She would reach her paw toward me. One time I told a couple looking how I have worked with the cats at the shelter, and that Nakana has a marvelous disposition. You see, if I could find her a good home, I wasn’t going to keep her from being adopted just because I wanted her. She needed a home as soon as possible and I couldn’t bring her home with sick Mac taking up so much of my time and energy. The couple took one look at her and shrugged, turning toward the pretty light-colored and patterned kittens and cats.
After I adopted Nakana and brought her to see a vet at the shelter, the vet told me that she has had three black cats and they were her favorites, but that the reason Nakana wasn’t adopted before I took her was because “a lot of people don’t like black cats.”
WHAT?!! HOW CAN PEOPLE JUST NOT LIKE CATS BECAUSE OF THEIR COLOR?
Is this because of superstitions that exist in the United States about black cats? According to Wikipedia, black cats are good luck in Great Britain and in Japan.
By the way, superstitions about cats can be good or bad and can affect more than black cats. If you want to read a wonderful children’s book that tries to subvert superstition about cats (in this case, a white cat) read The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth.
Sorry for that tangent.
In America and much of Europe, superstitions about black cats tend to be negative. The Pilgrims brought this attitude to this continent. This is where the notion of the black cat as a witch’s familiar comes from and why some people believe black cats are bad luck, especially when they cross one’s path.
How silly is that? They are just like all other cats: in need of loving homes and families. Although all cats have different personalities, it is true that many cat people declare with certainty that orange cats are almost as outgoing and verbal as dogs and that black cats have independent, curious, and friendly natures. I would agree with this assessment! Not all, certainly, but many.
Because we grow so many wackos and because of these preposterous superstitions (which could put ideas in the mind of wackos), Halloween is seen as a dangerous time for black cats. While there is disagreement about just how dangerous, why not just be on the safe side and keep all black cats indoors and protected through the fall? My cats are strictly indoor anyway (for their own sakes and for the sake of the wildlife), but I am particularly careful around Halloween.
But is it true that some people just don’t like black cats? Shelters have a more difficult time finding homes for black cats. My son knew this and when he went to adopt a cat two years ago, he purposely took a black kitten he named Meesker.
Meesker is one of my three grandcats!
Mac was 17 ½ when he died. He was an orange and white tabby, with a true orange tabby personality. I found him in my yard all those years ago. Fifteen years ago I found another cat in my yard—a black and white tuxedo cat I named Pear Blossom. She is now my grand lady cat. She’s black, but unlike a black cat, she has white whiskers and almost perfect tuxedo markings. Then we found Felix, a brown tabby, in our same yard, and he became our third cat. Tiger is a calico with tabby markings—maybe a patched tabby would be more accurate? Not one of them is a solid black cat, but then I didn’t choose these cats. They chose me.
But I have had a black cat before. When I was a little girl, the cat across the street had kittens, and I whined and cried enough that I was allowed to pick out a little black kitten my mother named Toby. I hope Toby’s life eventually turned out better than it was at my house. He was afraid of so much. He was afraid to go outside. He was afraid to be any place except under my bed or hiding in the basement. And when my parents adopted my baby brother, my mother was afraid of having a cat in the house with a baby. She actually thought a cat might kill the baby!
TALK ABOUT SUPERSTITION!!!
So one day while I was at school, my parents took Toby to a farm to live out his life. And I never got to say goodbye to him. Then my father took me to an expensive toy store to pick out any toy I wanted. I had never picked out a toy I wanted before. In the midst of my tears over Toby, I selected an empty black patent leather Barbie case. And have felt guilty my whole life that I chose a toy to make my father feel better about stealing my cat.
CATS AND DOLLS. Is that all you can write about?
Now I have a black cat again. Nakana is not Toby. She’s not anything like Toby. In fact, Nakana is a mature, good-natured, curious, calm female cat. One that all those people choosing kittens over her missed out on.
I’m having a hard time taking new photos of Nakana because she keeps moving toward me to rub against me for petting. What a hardship ;).
I’m so glad you were able to take Nakana! I’ve also never understood the thing about black cats. We’ve always chosen cats because of themselves, not because of their color. We had a little black kitten for a brief time. We got him from the Petsmart shelter at the same time as one of our cats who is now my special guy. Poor little Simon only lived for a few months with us–it turned out he had an incurable disease. But before it took its toll, he was a very smart and playful kitten. The best memory I have of him is when he somehow dragged one of my daughter’s sneakers–bigger than him–and dragged-threw it down the stairs. SO funny. 🙂
Oh, Simon sounds like a such a precious soul. What a cute and funny story! I’m so sorry he was sick, but think of the good life you gave him while he was alive! I’ve been calling Nakana “Kana” a lot lately because Nakana is quite a mouthful. Pear Blossom I call Pear (or sometimes Pear Tree). Macavity was Mac. Felix is Fefe. Tiger I usually call Tigees, although her name is actually Tiger Queenie Princess Mimi Josefina. My son named her Tiger, but it has never really seemed the right name for her. But Tigees is doable. Sorry for the name tangent!
I like Kana. We always give our cats nicknames, too. My younger daughter gave her beloved cat Michael quite a mouthful. I will see if I can remember it all: Michael Finnegan Rascular Buddy Boy Nosey-nose Smith. I might have missed something. 🙂 (Michael died during her senior year in high school. Then we got Simon and my Ricky later that year.) The girls sometimes called Simon “Simone.”
Oh, I love that long name! Rascular. hahaha. And I get calling Simon Simone. Felix being Fefe is silly, too, but it’s his silly boy name, so all is well. He is also Mr. Scoobydoobyman. Mac’s name when he was young was monkeybunnyratowlpig, which I might have mentioned before. These guys have personalities that deserve a lot of names!
🙂
We don’t have any pets but if I adopted a cat, it would most definitely be black. It never occurred to me that those superstitions would affect people’s choices!
It seems crazy, doesn’t it?!
Oops wasn’t done. The incident when you were young broke my heart. You need to know that you did not have the maturity or power to object to what happened nor to refuse your Father’s ‘gift’. You should not feel any guilt for not having the strength to refuse.
It took me a long time to learn that. My Dad didn’t operated that way – he would have let me say good-bye, but Mom was very dominating and rarely gave us choices or allowed us to voice an opinion. She would have given the cat away without taking our feelings into account and there would have been no ‘makeup present’ whatsoever. Some of that was her warped personality and some was just the way kids were treated in those times.
It took me years to believe in myself and trust that I’d make good decisions. Then it took several years of therapy to stop blaming myself for not standing up to her.
You are such a living caretaker for so many innocent animals. Special place in Heaven for you 💖
Sammy, thanks for saying that about the guilt. It’s hard to get over. I also have guilt for neglecting smaller animals when I was a kid. My mother’s philosophy was that the child had to totally take care of the pet*, but my philosophy is that the parent needs to oversee pet care on the part of children because children aren’t mature enough to be completely responsible (or knowledgeable or with the resources) and not only does the animal suffer when the child doesn’t come through, but the child is given the guilt from that, too. *That is even a pet the child didn’t ask for. My dad brought me two guinea pigs when I was a kid. My mother made me keep them in the basement (out of sight, out of mind). It was terrible. I tried, but eventually my parents took them away because my mother refused to have anything to do with their care, not even reminding me.
I understand what you’re saying about your mother and how deeply it affected you for so long. I see what you mean about no makeup present. Yes, I think that this happened because my mother insisted on my father getting rid of the cat and I think he felt kind of bad so it was my father who took me for the gift. You didn’t have that dynamic going on. In my case, it was the seemingly non-domineering parent who was really calling the shots.
You are so right about the overseeing part, Luanne. Teaching children responsibility is one thing but letting them fail before they’re ready for the responsibility has lasting repercussions. (PS we had two long haired guinea pigs – Squeak and Squawk. I’m sorry your experience was a bad one).
I’m reading a puberty book right now (grandkids nearly there) and one of the things it talks about is kids being mature enough to say no to strangers but not to their peers… that parents need to be aware that adolescents aren’t able to stand up to their peers no matter what you say to your kids.
My stepson and DIL left to run errands telling Raqi she could play at the neighbors but not to let the neighbors come jump on the tramp while they were gone. The neighbors are at least 2 years older than Raqi and ignored her pleas not to jump on the tramp.
Raqi ended up getting grounded and I thought it was totally unfair of her parents to punish her when THEY left her in a situation they should have known she couldn’t handle.
I ache for all of us from those childhood moments. I have a really good book (haven’t written about it yet) that shows you how to go back and imagine how you would have felt if things had been handled differently. Just being able to do that and visualize different treatment and different outcome has been a huge help in healing those hurts for me. I really need to write about that book. I’m sure others could benefit from it.
Hugs 💖
I too have heard that people shy away from black cats for superstitious reasons, and I agree, it’s silly. I’d take any kind of cat. If only hubs didn’t have such bad allergies. Sigh.
I am hoping that hubby miraculously becomes allergy-free! Maybe science will find a way to overcome cat allergies!
That would be lovely, but something tells me it won’t happen in my lifetime. 🙂
My mother had a black cat but I had already left home. Still, I saw the cat whenever I came home for a visit. A beautiful and friendly cat! That business about black cats is so utterly stupid! I know there are people out there who believe that stuff, but for heaven’s sake, let’s come out of the Dark Ages! I’m so glad you adopted that poor unhappy Nakana. I was ready to bring her home myself, right through the computer. It breaks my heart to see an animal suffer.
Yes, that’s what I see in black cats–that most of them are very friendly. My kitten Toby was a different matter. He might have been scared for the same reasons that I was anxious as a kid ;), or maybe he had already suffered a trauma when I selected him. Maybe he was too young to leave his mother. I agree about the Dark Ages. It’s just ridiculous. She is so precious. What a nice personality.
I’m with Sammy re the guilt – but if you feel it, you feel it. I trust it doesn’t weigh you down
Derrick, you’re right–I sure feel it. It might weigh me down a little. Maybe that’s why I keep taking on cats ;). But that’s not a bad thing. Especially with this sweet new cat. She’s very calm and patient, although curious.
I’ve had a lot of cats since childhood, two were black. Both long-lived (one to 18 and the other is 18 now). They were very different from each other. In fact they didn’t like each other at all. I didn’t pick either. One showed up at a co-workers house right after my beloved cat of the moment had died. The other showed up a friend’s house as a young kitten starving. Who could say no? She stopped on her way to take him to the shelter and the rest is history. I have a gorgeous calico (that was taken to the shelter at 18 months with a batch of kittens), a muted tiger and a charcoal cutie. Love them all.
I’m so glad you took in the kitties, Kate! Plenty of heartless people could say no. Or people who just can’t have cats (allergies or landlords, for instance). But thank goodness you DID take them (and what a wonderful place for them end up)! How did the two black cats act to each other? Nakana is in the bedroom at the end of the hall and 2 of the other cats won’t even bother to walk that far to go see her. I carried them closer today and introduced them (again). This is their response: they just look at each other and then the one outside the gated door just shrugs his/her shoulders (sort of) and walks away. I’m not sure what that means. I think it means “oh, she’s ok since she has to live behind that gate.” Hahaha.
The two black cats did not like each other. One was a diva for sure. The male cat does get along with the other 3 I have now although it takes him a while to adjust. He’s a large cat so he just “calibrates” the others if they get too pesky.
I didn’t know black cats have such a hard time Luanne. We never had a full black cat, but one that was black with white chest, paws and face, who was very loving and gentle.
Oh, so sort of like a tuxedo cat? Yes, I love the black and white ones, too. Who am I kidding? haha, I love them all! But the loving and gentle ones are such a treasure!
I’ve never had a black cat, Luanne, but I do have a black dog. People seem to be more frightened of the black dog than they were of my German Shepherd (who was the real one to worry about). My black dog is very friendly but people literally cross the street when they see her. I don’t know why this happens. It’s just odd xxxx
Dianne, I actually considered mentioning that about black dogs. I don’t know what it is. Maybe instinctively people feel this way because it’s not as easy to read expression on an all black animal? I don’t know. It’s just such a shame, though, for the black animals. I have heard that it is also harder to adopt out black dogs than other dogs :(.
Black dogs are also associated with depression which doesn’t help their cause at all 😉
Oh no, that is a shame. I wonder if we can find any roots of this anti-black cat and dog bias in literature?
That would be interesting. I’ll have a search around 🙂
Woohoo, keep me posted!
Luanne, so glad that you have Nakana as part of your family.
As for black cats, they are associated with very good luck in Ireland.
As for black dogs, I gather that they don’t fare too well in the adoption/rescue stakes and it’s been suggested to me that there could be a racist connection which seems totally and utterly daft to me (in terms of both humans and animals.)
Jean, isn’t that wonderful about black cats in Ireland? I actually read that information online and was happy to see it!
I wonder what could be racist about it, other than that I suppose there is an underlying unfounded prejudice at work against black cats and dogs, at least in the U.S. In that respect, I guess there is a connect in the way people are quick to form unfair judgments and to be intolerant.
I think it’s possibly to do with prejudice against blackness in humans being transferred onto animals. Neither make any sense to me.
This might sound unusual, but I’ve never known anyone (except you) who owned a black cat. Even the strays that roam our neighborhood are typically orange and white, sometimes gray. I’m glad you have Nakana, Luanne.
Yes, that is unusual, but unfortunately, it could be (in part) the result of this bias against black cats. Nakana is a beauty and so sweet. I’m thrilled with her!
Dang, why is everyone lately writing about the cats they are adopting! I want another one for Simon to play with (OK, for me, really) but we already have one cat that’s rambunctious as hell and two dogs with huge sweet hearts and lots of health problems…we do not need anymore animals but I WANT ANOTHER ONE!
And what is a “tabby personality” because Simon is an orange and white tabby and well, he’s the most mischievous creature I’ve ever encountered.
Yes!!! Orange and white tabbies are the naughtiest of all the cats. I NEVER should have brought that Lily to my son–she is the naughtiest thing ever. She can’t be contained by a gate, so they had to get a cage to keep in the living room to give their other cat a break from her (SHE has to go in there, not him). And she loves to run under the water as soon as the faucet turns on. (She’s adorable, but a real handful). And my Mac was orange and white with a HUGE personality. Hypnotic and when he was young, NAUGHTY. He lost so many of my earrings and broke so many of hubby’s breakables. There is no doubt of the orange & white personality ;).
Black dogs have the same troubles. I’ve read quite a bit on it, because we had a black dog. They’re seen as evil, promoting depression, and then to top it all off, they don’t photograph as well in shelter settings. Very unfortunate.
Of course, we loved our black dog, and I could love a black cat. I’ve never had one, but I’ve met many striking black feline characters and my heart is always open to animals. And the ones with the bright green or yellow eyes?How gorgeous is that contrast?
I have a white cat, which I must say, was an ugly kitten, but is now soooo gorgeous. (I may be biased.) It’s not her appearance I fell in love with when she chose me.
I’ve had several tabbies, a black calico, a gray tiger, a torty, a tuxedo…it’s not what the cat looks like for me. Like people, it’s what’s on the inside!
I think the photography part is really valid. I have a hard time photographing Nakana. With Pear her white spots make her very photogenic, but with Nakana her eyes need to be fully open so that the green is visible against all that solid black. In some lights/filters, like the photo of Meesker above, black cats rust out. Do black dogs do that? of course, dogs always have their tongues 😉 to break up the color. But, yes, I think it’s true that they just don’t photograph well to grab heartstrings.
You are so right: it’s what is inside!!! My Tiger is a beautiful tabby type Calico (or Patched Tabby), but she’s a stinker with a bad personality. We love her to pieces, but if she was in a shelter she would probably not get adopted because of her nature. But people are still intrigued with her at first because of her more unusual coat.
By the way, re the eyes on black cats, I read that usually they have gold eyes because of the pigment, but Nakana has very green eyes.
I’m sure your cat is gorgeous!! Is she completely white? and not deaf?
She is completely white, with one green eye and one blue. Her mama was Siamese.
When we first got her, just after she’d stopped nursing, she had a little gray smudge on her head. My mother said it probably wouldn’t stay, and it didn’t. She’s all white, but not deaf 🙂
I can see the photograph point too, but in person, I think black animals are just as expressive. It’s a real shame.
My friend Tracey has an enormous long haired black cat called Charlie, and he has the most beautiful amber eyes, but I do see plenty of photos of the green eyed black cats — both colors, so Halloween, so mesmerizing!
So expressive. In fact, a reason I probably fell in love with Nakana so quickly was that her face is so expressive. Other volunteers who worked with her commented to me about that, too.
Gosh, too bad we can’t have them all!
Your Nakana is beautiful, Luanne. So happy she is so affectionate and trying to get some extra rubs and pets. I have never owned a cat but shared a kitty that was dropped off at the farm (“dumped”) my good friend Bill rented his house on. It was a piteous, echoing meow we heard as we sat with mugs of coffee at Bill’s fire circle one Autumn night. I grabbed my flashlight and was able to find the wandering kitty. Bill said not to pick it up but thought calico were female and called her “Phoebe.” We usually called her “Baby. ” When we went on day trips or down to see Felicia who graduated from UD and proceeded to go live in Louisville, KY. (with a college roommate) his brothers would come out and open a can of cat food and replenish her water. Luanne, Baby came to love us, let us put a flea collar on her and liked the Amish made cat house Bill put out the first winter for her. I felt bad and begged him to let her wait inside while he worked nights. I lived 20 miles away and always worried about her. When Bill got sick and had back surgery, he moved into Delaware and Phoebe became a house cat. 7 years later, I rarely go inside Bill’s house but we remain friends. He smokes inside and last time I was there I sat on floor of closet to pet her. She ran after me when I left, into the hallway. It makes me sad but I enjoy cat-sitting for Jenny 2 cats, Kira and Tayla. Phoebe sleeps on Bill’s big tummy, he showed me a picture of her there. Cats are special and my oldest daughter had a black cat she named “Tux” due to his white chest and overall black coat. This cat loved my grandson, Skyler, and would run and tilt his head and then, sometimes leap into his bassinet or crib when he cried. Cats are sensitive, as you know, and would not hurt a baby. Silly superstitions!
Oh, Robin, that is so well put: “Cats are sensitive.” They are SO sensitive. That is one of the things I like about them. They are intuitive and sensitive. Oops, gotta go. TTYL.
I hope Phoebe is having a good life. I’m so glad she ended up becoming a house cat, especially now that she is older. I’m sure she loves you!
My cats are a big responsibility in terms of thinking about them when we make decisions, financial cost, and especially time spent, but they are little constant therapy sessions to pet them and have them lay by us, etc.
Oh Luanne, you are a cat magnet! But seriously, I am sooooo with you on this. You know how much I adore our black moggie Eddie 🙂 And also how much I just love the photos of your gorgeous Nakana. I’ve had four black cats (I know I mentioned Blackie, Zippa, Willow and Eddie before but wasn’t sure if you knew they were all black or not, lol!). Not for any particular reason, they just happened to be black! We always keep our cats in for Halloween, always have. I just don’t understand the superstition. There is a push here in the UK encouraging people to adopt black cats for the same reasons you cite in the US. So, so sad. And I LOL’d when you say ‘grandcats’. I’m beginning to think the only granchildren I’ll have will be of the furry or feathery kind 😉 But Luanne, I will be posting next week hopefully about our latest pet…one we adopted and didn’t expect to. A bunny!! I am in love…and out of all the pets we’ve had over all these years, we’ve never had a bunny! He was the last of his litter apparently (at Pets At Home, like your PetSmart I’m guessing) and was put up for adoption because he isn’t fluffy with spots like his siblings. But he is beautiful, reddish brown with grey ears and nose. Like Peter Rabbit. And he got our attention, as these animals do. We bonded instantly, it was a no-brainer. I’ve walked past those rabbits a million times but this time it was different. As soon as my daughter and I looked at hubby, that was it, he didn’t stand a chance, haha 😀 So there is my blog post comment. Black cats, like all cats are beautiful and I’m so glad you ended up with Nakana. It was meant to be…hugs xoxox
I can’t wait for your post to see photos of your new bunny! He sounds absolutely beautiful! I can well imagine that you are in love with him! And you are such a black cat lady!!! I didn’t realize they were all black cats! So the same problems must plague black cats in England, too?! Re the grandchildren, Haha, that is how I feel. Cats might be it for a long time! I will keep watch for your bunny pix, Sherri!
My Mikey was an orange tabby and he was my fav (don’t tell the other kitties) … my snugglebunny. Sweetest cat I’ve ever had. He lived to almost 19, as far as we could make out (his age). Like with yourself, most of our cats just showed up in our yard, and aside from Maxine who actually had a microchip, we can only guess at their ages. I’ve never had a black cat but I think they are beautiful. Maybe if I think really, really hard, one will show up in my back yard 🙂
And adult cats rule! My husband and I are getting old enough now that we don’t want to adopt a cat that might outlive us 😉
Marie, you have no idea how hard I laughed when I read that: “Maybe if I think really, really hard, one will show up in my back yard.” hahahaha You are so like me! Yes, I think us ahem older folks are best off adopting animals that are a little older, when possible. That’s why I am still hoping for a senior without a cat to adopt dear Abby. I haven’t given up hope of finding someone for her.
Re your Mikey, his snuggling doesn’t surprise me for an orange cat. At all. Mac was such a pill in so many ways, but he was always hugging my arm for dear life as I lay on the couch, trying to be right next to me (he was taught early on he couldn’t lay on top of me because he was too big), and face kissing all day long. Pear and Felix are not like that at all. Tiger is a little like that and sleeps between our pillows at night.
At one point I developed what felt like a pinched nerve in my shoulder because Mikey liked to (rather insisted on) sleeping on the inside of my left arm, fully stretched out with his head resting on my shoulder. He wasn’t a heavy cat, but cats are heavy when they are in full sleep mode 😉 This became routine in the last couple of years of his life, so I never had the heart to break him of the habit. Now Wendy likes to sleep between my legs which makes getting up to pee an exercise in contortion. But at least she doesn’t push me off the bed, which is what the other two do with my husband most nights 😉
See, you are so like me! Do you know that some people would push the cat away to make themselves comfortable?! I know, mean, huh?
We might make some adjustments to get comfortable but we rarely push them away. My poor husband has the worst of it. One time he woke up to find himself pinned down by all three cats! heh heh 😉
I hold no grudge against black cats. But I must admit that I find a black cat with white bib and white paws fetching. It’s the tuxedo look.
WJ, especially if they play the piano, right?! Hahaha. Yes, they are such cuties, like my Pear Blossom. Those are jellicle cats (a la T.S. Eliot). “Jellicle cats are black and white, jellicle cats are rather small, jellicle cats are merry and bright, and pleasant to hear when they caterwaul.” (or some such)
She is such a beauty!
Thank you so much! I sure think so 🙂 woot!
Luanne, you are a wonderful woman and Nakana is a very lucky black cat – as lucky as all the cats that come to live with you and your husband. Kudos to you for your ongoing volunteerism at the shelter and for rescuing struggling cats and giving them the love they deserve. You can write about human kindness whenever you want to – in my book! 🙂 Bless your heart, as we say in the South.
Thanks for your kind words, Sheila! I feel so blessed to have Nakana living with me now. I was so worried about her for the past six months! I hope you’re continuing to recover and are feeling well???
Yes, much better now but still can’t shake all the symptoms…will just have to color within the lines for a while. Thanks for checking on me!
I hope You get better every day . . . .
Thanks!
I’d have whipped her up in a moment. My black cat, Rico would get along really well with her. He hangs around with a couple of other black cats in our neighbourhood. 😉 What a beaut!
Kev, did you see that Monday was Black Cat Appreciation Day?! I hope Rico got some extra attention!
No, where is that at? I missed it. 🙁
However, we did get extra treats in on Monday… Must be a psychic connection thingy. 😀
Definitely. That’s what cats do! I reblogged Brandy Heineman’s post about the day. That’s the way I found out about it!
We grew up with a house full of cats and oddly enough, not one black cat. Since all of them were rescued I don’t think my mom held any prejudice towards black cats. We did own though, over the years, several black dogs, which I can tell you are feared/disliked by many African tribes. Nakana is beautiful Luanne! 🙂
I didn’t know that about black dogs. What a shame! This is the first cat I really chose rather than being chosen by a cat. Although I think our eye locking might have been her way of saying “pick me!” 😉
Pingback: What Is It About Black Cats? | Passages of the Heart
Reblogged this on Passages of the Heart.
Thanks for the re blog, Carol!
Pingback: What Is It About Black Cats? | Passages of the Heart
Reblogged this on Kev's Great Indie Authors and commented:
Now, my Rico had a field day with this and insisted I use this article in my Rollover Sunday, otherwise it just wouldn’t be fur and any future rolling over from him would be scratched out forever! Ok Rico, you win! Welcome to Kev’s Rollover Sunday, Luanne! 😉
Ah, thanks, Kev! I will check out the others! I hope you and Rico have a great week. Nakana says hi to him.
Most welcome, Rico says hi back! 😀
Found you through Kev’s Great Indie Authors site. I love black cat. My last feline companion, Onyx, was a black cat who I fell in love with the moment I saw him. I was later shocked to learn many people won’t adopt black cats because of their color and the ties to superstition.
I have a Christmas novella coming out in November called FOOD FOR POE in which I address that black cat stigma. I love all cats, but black felines will always hold a special place in my heart. Wonderful post!
Mae, congratulations on your book! It sounds great! Black cats seem to have such wonderful personalities! It breaks my heart to think that people hold their color against them.
Nakana looks very satisfied! I’m glad she found a forever home, Our favorite cat (we’ve never been without one, and have had as many as five) was a mostly black cat with a white vest – Schnitzle. Very smart- he could open doors! My current cat, Elijah Moon, is orange with stripes on his tail. Not the smartest cat on the block but with an affectionate personality.
Schnitzle, what a cute name! And so smart!! A loving personality like Elijah Moon is always wonderful to have around, too! Nakana is proving to be a darling. She’s also older than what the shelter thought and has a spine with bad arthritis which shows she may have been injured in the past. Poor girl. We’ll make it up to her now!!
I adore black cats… have only had one cat. She ran away from home to be with me, and she was the love of my life. I wrote my first blog about her leaving for that soft cushion kn the sky. I still miss her..
Oh, what a sweetheart. I’m so sorry you lost her, Valerie, but so happy for you that you had her while she was here.
Some cultures are superstitious about black cats, ascribing either good or bad luck to them. All-black fur pigmentation is slightly more prevalent in male cats than female cats.
Right now we have over 10 all black cats (kittens and young cats) at the shelter that need homes. We ran a Black Friday “sale” and greatly reduced the adoption fees and not one cat found a home. Other colors continue to be adopted . . . .