Hello friends, cat lovers, soon to be cat lovers and everyone in between. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a relaxing weekend. Since “Black Friday” was less than a week ago, and there is always so much fuss that surrounds it, I thought I would post about one of my favorite subjects…the black cat! Some…maybe all of you may know that black cats have a harder time finding their forever homes in the United States. Why is this the case? Evidently it all goes back to long held superstitions that people have about black cats being bad luck. And why exactly do people hold these beliefs? According to Wikipedia, “in Western history black cats have often been looked upon as a symbol of evil omens.” Furthermore, black cats have been associated with witches and some people even believed that witches could turn themselves into black cats. This sounds crazy I know?! What amazes me is how long superstitions can stick around for so long even when there is absolutely no single shred of truth surrounding the beliefs. What is interesting, however, is not all superstitions surrounding black cats are negative. In some parts of the world, like Great Britain and Japan, good luck is associated with black cats. To read more about this check out what Wikipedia has to say here.
So I grew up, like most people, hearing the old adage “if a black cat crosses your path it’s bad luck.” I never really gave any of this much thought. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I learned that black cats do not get adopted as easily as other cats. This bit of knowledge both surprised and concerned me…especially since I love black cats. Truth be told I have never met a cat I didn’t like, but black cats in my opinion do have a certain charm to them. This charm could be partly because I always feel I am the midst of a baby panther. This feeling became especially strong when my sweetie and I adopted a black kitten following the death of our beloved Cleo. Ray Charles (a.k.a Baby Bear) will always be our forever “baby panther.” Baby Bear is the sweetest, most endearing cat who is always happy. When I get down on the ground to do Yoga stretches he will stretch with me. It’s beyond adorable and makes me swoon every time! To check out more images of Baby Bear click here.
As a cat lover, cat guardian, and cat photographer one of my life’s purpose is to inspire other people to love these “little panthers” as much as I. Below are a few images of some of the black cats that have warmed my heart over the past couple of years. To see more beautiful, black beauties click here to check out a photo gallery dedicated to them. So if you or a friend are thinking of adding to your family, I encourage you to consider adopting a black cat. How about adopting a black cat this Friday. That would give a whole new meaning to the expression “Black Friday.” I really do believe that black is the new cat. What do you think?
