I have a thing for black cats. My first was a little black short hair named Bete Noire. She was my companion for 18 and a half years…and I apologize for the tiny photo...this is my first effort to scan a photo and I don’t know how to re-size it! But that is yours truly and Bete, a long time ago.
I didn’t intend to adopt a black cat, specifically. Bete was the last kitten in a litter that my ex and I answered a “free kitten” ad for. She hopped on my shoulder and started to purr...and that was that. We bonded. In my experience, black cats do that! They form very close bonds with their chosen human. It is one of the things I love about them.
Bete was with me through all the highs and lows that life brings — and it was because of her that I never want to be without a black kitty companion.
The next black domestic short hair cat in my life was Betty. Ann and I had gone to the Multnomah County shelter to see if a distressed cat we had spotted in the neighborhood had ended up there. That particular cat was not there but as I was passing by the cages, a little black paw reached out and hooked my dress and I heard a familiar, plaintive meow. She sounded just like Bete...I saw the name on the cage, Betty...Bete...Betty...and I thought, okay Universe, I get the message. Betty, who had broken teeth, an allergic skin condition, and scars across her nose and under her chin from eating out of sharp-edged cans, came home with us. Poor Betty, it is hard to know what all she went through before coming to us, or even how old she really was —
Betty only lived a couple years longer before her kidneys failed — but she surely graced our home while she was here. I pined for her when she was gone so Ann and I went back to the shelter just to see who was there. And lo, Callie, a 3 month old kitten who had been abandoned by the highway, was there. Like the other black cats before her, Callie sticks pretty close to me and keeps me company. I adore her.
Black cats have an unfortunate and undeserved reputation with some and are therefor the hardest cats for shelters to get adopted. Black cats (or dogs!) are more likely to be euthanized because of this. Horribly unfair, yes, but true. As such, they are sometimes advertised by shelters (this is sheer brilliance!) as miniature panthers, an attractive term that I love. And it is so fitting! I know that in her mind, Callie feels like a panther!
Have you ever been loved by a black cat? Share your memories and your pictures — of cats, dogs, and birds of any color! ‘Niptinis or fresh water are being served for the felines among us and biscuits and fresh water for the canines. Humans, please help yourself to the beverage of your choice! (I’ll have a sparkling water, please!) This is an open thread.