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Celebrating National Black Cat Day

Posted on by International Cat Care
27
Oct

Today is National Black Cat Day!

It’s reported that black cats in homing/rescue centres take longer than cats of other colours to find homes, but there have been some reassuring findings that this is changing.

In celebration of black cats, we’re countering some of the negative superstitions associated with them by looking at some of the positive beliefs associated with these amazing animals.

They are believed to bring good luck

Whether black cats are considered to be lucky or not varies and is attached to superstitions based in specific cultures.

  • In Japan, a black cat crossing your path is a good omen and there is a black version of the famous Maneki-neko, or Lucky Cat, that is believed to ward off evil.
  • A traditional belief of fishermen is that black cats are lucky and will bring a sailor home from sea. Their families often kept them in the hope that it would bring the sailors back safely.
  • In Scotland, a black cat appearing on your doorstep is a sign that good luck is coming your way!

They represented a Goddess in ancient Egypt

The great respect for cats that the ancient Egyptians had is famous, and so is the image of Bastet, the Goddess portrayed as a black cat or cat-headed woman. Bastet was originally depicted as a lioness, and it is thought that the change to Bastet as a domestic cat coincided with the domestication of cats in Egypt.

They look amazing

Black cats are also sometimes unfairly accused of not being photogenic, but as you can see from some of the entries we had in our recent photo competition, this is not the case!

An entry to our 2020 photo competition

Jess submitted by Claire Padraza

If you’re thinking of getting a black cat (or any other colour), iCatCare can give you the information you need from before you bring them home, right the way through all of their life stages. A good place to start is our kitten checklist which goes through all the considerations you need to think about before getting a kitten, you can download this here.

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International Cat Care

Pioneering for cats International Cat Care is a pioneering cat welfare charity. Since 1958 we’ve challenged cruelty, ignorance and misunderstanding to affect positive change in the lives of cats. With an estimated global population of 600 million cats, half of which are thought to be unowned, our work has never been more important.

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