No feline is more maligned than the black cat.
The black cat along with pumpkins, bats and witches and spiders … yes and spiders … has
become a staple of Halloween imagery.
While black cats are typically associated with Halloween, witchcraft and bad luck, and
the #1 Halloween costume choice for both children and women in their freshman year of college…
oddly enough…
there’s much more to these dark-colored fur balls that you probably didn’t know.
[I thought I taw a puddy tat] Let’s take a look at our shadowy feline friends.
Hi, I’m Leroy and I’m Rosie and this is Animal Facts.
Let’s get started.
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Meet Binx.
Binx is our resident black kitty in the Animal Facts household.
Binx showed up at our doorstep two years ago and well.
We can say without a doubt that the only spells he’s ever cast were ... [meow] What’s
that?
Oh right…
get on with the list, it’s almost dinner time.
OK.
10.
Beginning in the Middle Ages, black cats became associated with witches and witchcraft and
of-course the Devil.
Some people went so far as to believe black cats were cohorts to witches or even witches
who had taken animal form.
This widespread superstition resulted in the horrific mass executions of black cats—and
sometimes even their wrongfully labeled owners.
The elderly, solitary women who often fed and cared for stray cats were also often misidentified
as witches and the cats as their evil conspirators.
Well…
Well, we did do the nose and the hat.
She is a witch.
Burn her.
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9.
Maybe these “witches” were onto something.
Forget the stereotypical depiction of the perpetually single crazy cat lady.
In some parts of the world, it’s believed that black cats can actually improve your
love life.
That is as long as you remember to hit your outfit with the lint roller before going out
for a date.
Or you could just wear that little black dress.
In Japan, for example, single women who own black cats are believed to attract more suitors.
And in Great Britain’s English Midlands, a black cat is the ideal wedding gift.
They’re believed to bring good luck and happiness to the bride.
If you’re in Germany and a black kitty crosses your path from right to left, good things
are on the horizon.
Right to left Binx, Right to Left
8.
Not only can a black cat beef up your love life, but they can amp up your good luck and
improve your finances, too.
Historically, sailors brought cats aboard ships to hunt mice—and, presumably, for
companionship—but British sailors in the Royal Navy believed a black cat, in particular,
would bring the ship good luck and ensure a safe return home.
A few of these kitties have been enshrined in maritime history, like Tiddles, who traveled
more than 30,000 miles during his time with the Royal Navy.
If you were a pirate it became a little more complicated, though.
Pirates believed a black cat walking toward you was bad luck; a black cat walking away
from you was good luck; and if a cat boarded the ship, then jumped off, the ship was headed
to see Davey Jones.
7.
It’s common to think that black cats in shelters are the last in line to find their
forever homes, but a recent survey from the ASPCA suggests otherwise.
Although euthanasia numbers for black cats were of the highest, their total number of
adoptions was the highest of any hue as well.
But his wicked past does still haunt him.
Aside from continuing to rep all things eerie, the fear of black cats still has some influence
today: Many animal shelters won’t place black cats in homes during the month of October,
for fear of them being used sacrificially.
Yeah, that’s some bad Joujou.
Many also advise keeping your black cat indoors on or near the Halloween holidays.
6.
The black cat is not a breed.
The Cat Fanciers’ Association recognizes 22 different breeds that can have solid black
coats—including the Norwegian Forest Cat, Japanese Bobtail, and Scottish Fold—but
the Bombay breed is what most people picture: a copper-eyed, all-black shorthair.
The resemblance to a "black panther" is no coincidence.
In the 1950s, a woman named Nikki Horner was so enamored with how panthers looked that
she bred what we now refer to as the Bombay.
The Bombay’s nickname is the “parlor panther,” because of his resemblance to the big cat.
Many black cats have golden eyes, which is the result of high melanin pigment content
in their bodies.
5.
Put your lab coat on.
Researchers at the US National Institutes of Health discovered that the genetic mutations
that cause cats to have black coats may offer them some protection from diseases.
In fact, the mutations affect the same genes that offer HIV resistance to humans.
Because cats can experience many of the same health issues as we do—cancer, HIV and Alzheimer’s,
to name a few—they make perfect models for studying human disease.
By figuring out how cats have evolved to resist diseases, researchers can, potentially, learn
how to prevent disease in humans as well.
And we thought the only thing cats ever did for us was to knock stuff off the furniture.
4.
Black Cats can “rust”.
Okay, so they don’t actually rust like a tin can or bike.
A black cat’s color all boils down to a genetic quirk.
There are three variants of the black fur gene (solid black, brown, and cinnamon), and
the hue works in conjunction with the pattern.
If a cat has a solid black hue, but also the dominant tabby stripe gene, heavy exposure
to the sun can make the pigment in his fur break down to reveal his once-invisible stripes.
Your once black cat is now a rusty brown cat.
3.
They're difficult to photograph—but it can be done.
The modern-day conundrum black cat owners face isn’t bad luck, but bad lighting.
In a world filled with people sharing photos of their pets on Facebook and Instagram, black
cats can end up looking like a dark blob in photos.
A photographer’s advice?
Minimalist backgrounds, so your kitty can stand out, and angling him towards natural
light sources (but keep him out of bright sunlight!).
If you're snapping pics on your smart-phone, tap on your cat's face, to lock exposure on
your cat.
2.
A black cat with an arched back and bared claws was used as a symbol by the Industrial
Workers Of The World, the US-based labor union known as the Wobblies.
It conveyed the idea of a wildcat strike but was also meant to unsettle employers, implying
that a black cat was crossing their path and they should watch out.
According to one story, the logo was originally devised during a strike that was going badly.
An emaciated black cat strayed into the strikers' camp, where it was fed.
As it grew healthier the strike prospered [and when the workers won some of their demands
they adopted the cat as their mascot.]
1.
Can’t get enough black cat in your life?
You can visit a cat cafe devoted to black cats.
Step through the doors of Nekobiyaka in Himeji, Japan and get ready for your wildest cat lady
dreams to come true.
Black cats are the stars at this café and visitors are invited to pet (but not pick
up) these bewitching felines.
Since it's hard to tell the cats here apart, they all wear different-colored bandannas
around their necks, and their names incorporate their identifying color.
[The staff will lend you a little book with photos of all the cats, listing their names
and birthdays.
]
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And as always catch ya next time.