Halloween conjures up many images: cackling witches, glowing pumpkins, black cats crossing your path. Many cultures find black cats lucky - a directly opposite view of many supersitious people in the USA. This latent fear, combined with a general penchant for brightly colored fur, means many black cats end up in animal shelters, and sit there for a long time. This puts a burden on no-kill shelters, and means many wonderful cats are put down in euthansia shelters.
There is some scientific information beginning to show that may act in these cats favor. Animal-behavior expert Temple Grandin discusses some interesting links between cat color and behavior. In her book "Animals Make Us Human", she cites scientific research that demonstrates a link between black fur and sociable, loving, and gently playful behavior. They also tend to be laid back - but not so much that they'd ignore an offer for petting or to play with a new toy.
Many people choose a new cat based on their color, or pick the cutest kitten they can find. However, this isn't always a good fit. It's common to get stuck with a cat that's incompatible with your lifestyle and what you want from a pet when you go by looks alone. Friendly and cute kittens can grow into disinterested cats that would rather be left alone. Kittens may be cuter, but by adopting an adult cat you can be sure that their tempermant isn't likely to change. You are also saving a cat that isn't as easy to adopt out, and you're skipping the terrorizing, furniture destroying stage of kittenhood.
The next time you're considering adding a new cat to your family, remember the plight of the loving but oft overlooked black cat. Even black kittens are hard to adopt out, but tend to adapt well to multi-cat households. They may not have the showiest color patterns, but they may end up being a better fit for your expectations of a pet.
For More Information: Read "The Legend of the Black Cat" at CatChannel.com, or check out some of the cute black cats available at Atlanta area shelter FurKids.
Comments
I have always had a black cat and usually like us they know just what they are getting into when they choose to come to the earth plane as one of these special creatures. Mine have always had the most loveing and kind personalities. My current black kitty is named Kramer and he is 18+ pounds of pure personality!
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