Why don't B&W's or Black Cats get adopted?

i dont really know, I know that people used to think of black cats as being evil and being witches cats

i was orginally only ever going to have one cat, my first one but i seen pictures off sooty and i knew he was to be mine, hes jet black and he is the sweetest most adorable loving cat you could clap eyes on so ive never doubted my decision.

I have no clue. Gary dreamed of having a black & white kitty rescue ranch!

My newest addition Squeak is solid black DSH. She's so black that it's hard to see her facial features, especially if her eyes are closed!

She is a delight! She is very playful, yet very cuddly too. We adore her! She is losing her baby teeth, and we found 2 of them.

It's a horrifying thought that the most commonly euthanized dogs are big/black dogs. Doesn't matter the breed - they don't "show" as well as lighter colored dogs. Especially in over-crowded dimly lit pounds.

Black cats & tuxedo cats are often looked over for the "prettier" kitties - oranges, buffs, whites, calicos - everyone is superficial & wants something "unique". I've had people tell me "I don't want ugly" when I point out a black kitty that would be a purr-fect fit for their home. They are near impossible to photograph, making them have one more strike against them (adoptable pet listings such as petfinder draw people in toward a specific pet - if they have a bad photo/s who is going to come meet them?).

We have 3 1/2 (1/2 = Big Black, our property Tom, has not decided yet if he is going to be a full time garage cat but I think he will when it gets colder...) black strays (2 kittens & the Mom) & one gray kitten that are now living in our garage...

when I called the shelter about gettin them fixed, there was a section on the TNR application that said if a inside home could be found, we would have to relinquish them which we definitely did NOT want to do...

So I called the shelter to let them know our feelings & when I told them they were black she said we had "no worries" except for the gray which really surprised me as I thought the old "black cats are bad luck" had long past...

We see it as an added plus, especially this time of year, as we now have rela life animated decorations for Holloween!

It is really sad. I work with a couple of dog rescue groups, and the black ones definitely take much longer to place than other varieties. I have a wonderfully sweet, smart and beautiful black Lab. She's a GREAT dog, but I'm still trying to find her a home and it's been six months.

I rescued my black kitty, Bella, from death row at a local shelter. She's great, full of 'tude, but I love her like crazy. I think she's beautiful. She has the nicest coat I've ever seen on a cat. She is hard to photograph though!

I don't understand why people don't like black kitties, but I do know they're a pain in the butt to photograph well. For every good photo of Batman (our black kitten) we take, we get about 14 lousy ones. So I think sometimes people don't get photogenic pictures of the black cats on adoption websites. We have some very unflattering pictures of Batman where the flash blows out his fur and makes his face look weird - you just have to keep trying until you get some great pictures. (And natural sunlight makes for way better pictures!)

A good friend of mine was looking for a pet cat and she knew black ones didn't get adopted as easy, so she picked herself out a sweet black kitty from the SPCA when she went. I wish more people were like her.

When we found the kittens in our yard this summer, we ended up adopting the black one (Batman) because we figured he wouldn't be wanted by anyone anyways and we got so darn attached to him anyways, we didn't want to give him up if somebody did.

So I love the black kitties as much as the other kitties - they just take more patience to photograph well. He can look scary at times when he's in crazy play mode and you just see glowing eyes from the back of a room looking at you. Bonus - black cat hair doesn't show up as much on your black clothes.

Our Batman, looking pretty:



An example of a not-so-hot picture (but it shows he's kinda stripey!):



With his brothers (who were adopted out together):

Hunh. So many of the TCS black cats ARE pretty! And our Ming Loy who is technically B&W (little teeney strip of white on her chest and a "v" on her abdomen) is so darling it's incredible! So what "prettier" cats?

....but yes - they are more difficult to photograph.

Killerapple, I was posting the same time as you - but perfect example! He's gorgeous!

I love black kitties! Well, really all kitties! My two manx cats have been black and have/had the greatest personalities! They were going to be destroyed because they weren't "show worthy"! Guess the color was also why they weren't wanted.

I wonder also if it is because there are so many black or b&w cats out there that people (even subconciously at times) overlook them at shelters because it can be difficult to distinguish "personality" from a sea of black cats?

I personally (as you can see from my babies pics) adore tuxedo cats. I don't know why. I gravitate towards them naturally.

My coworker was getting a cat after her Maine Coon passed. She and her husband wanted no black or b&w or white cats. I just couldn't understand why anyone would have a stipulation like that. I go completely on who I vibe with. There is a certain look in a cats eye I respond to. I could care less what color they are.

I think too many people think of black cats being evil still... I adopted 2 black cats from my local humane society and they were just thrilled to have me there because I asked for them. I have since picked up a 3rd cat (he's grey though and was a stray).

I have always heard it said that if you take a black cat into your home or if a black cat approaches you, it brings good luck. If the cat leaves your home or "crosses your path" which would be taken as walks away from you it take the good luck away from you.

So with that in mind everyone should own a black cat

My black boys have the best personalities. Lokk is the most sweetest and gentle thing. He is never imposing and pretty much will tolerate anything. Bear is such a character and sweet boy I just can't imagine life without him. Every black cat I've ever known has been a wonderful cat. Some people just can't see past the coat color.

I think it's a subconscious or not deliberate thing usually.

I agree with Nat - White Cat Lover - that people don't think of black cats or black and white cats as "pretty". People usually want nice markings. Tortis are also hard to place. Their striped, swirled and spotted counterparts get homes first. And it's the black cat evil thing. I even had someone say I don't like black cats. They're scary!

People here still think of black cats as being unlucky. We have many of them in the shelter. One of my current fosters is black, and I am taking them to the Open Day at the shelter tomorrow to see potential families. But I am sure her tabby siblings will be adopted first. It is a shame, she is a really sweet kitten with a great personality.

I've always been drawn to black cats. I think they are beautiful and classic looking. My first cat Sylvia was a black cat and now I live with one black/white "tuxedo" Sneakers and one solid black Roxy. Roxy is one of the prettiest cats I've seen (not that I'm biased or anything ) and I think all black Maine Coons especially are gorgeous. We searched for over a year to find a good breeder who bred solid black Maine Coons. There are not that many because they don't do well in the show ring.
Roxy is special, she is solid black with gold eyes, polydactyl, and was born the day before Halloween.


This is a photo of Sylvia, my first cat:




Here is Roxy:

Think about it for a few minutes, in fairy tales when you were a child, did you know of any black cats that were placed in a favorable light? The only one I remember wasn't in a fairy tale, but in Pinocchio Figaro was a tuxedo kitty and not evil at all. Most of the black cats were protrayed as evil and people now view them as superstitious. In the salem witch trials, all the black cats were rounded up and burned at the stake with the witches. Halloween posters always show black cats in full arched back, with fangs protrudiing and spitting and hissing not the best portrayal of these wonderful critters.

It is sad because out of all the strays, the black cats live the longest, they have the strongest immune systems of all the others and the best personalities. I have 9 currently here- that are black and black and white and there are no homes for them. They are wonderful, sociable loving kittens which I will probably have to keep because of their being no homes for them. It's plain stupid if you ask me-

Wow, Roxy is GORGEOUS!!!!

Funny this thread should come up today. I ran across a colony of ferals today that were black, white, and black and white. Not a gray, orange, or any kind of tabby among the ones that I saw. There were 15-20 of them, just beautiful. They all came and peeked at me when I pulled up to pick up the lady I was taking to work in my cab. The people in the trailer park where I saw them take care of them. She said they are pretty friendly for strays, and some of them have been neutered or spayed.

Over here black cats, or bi colours always go first. It's tabbies and longhairs that are last to be adopted.

As I was scrolling thru the thread, DH noticed the picture of Roxie and asked if that was Muddy. So I explained the question in the thread - why are black cats hard to adopt out. His response? "cause they're so darn cute!". He loves our Muddy and Koko.

I don't get it either. When we adopted our last dog, the shelters were surprised when we told them we were looking for the big black dog that everyone else passes up. Yes, their hair shows up more than my red cats and dogs, and no, they don't photograph well, but WHO CARES!?!?!?!?

Personally i think if i didnt take sooty i think the person that had had the kittens would of had trouble finding a home for him. as soon as i clapped eyes on him he was to be mine and a little story from tonight, i went shopping i was out an hour i came back sooty was waiting for me at the door and jumped up for a cuddle and head nudges kisses the whole kitandkabodle hows that evil

my friends tux is exactly the same whes more black then white and so loving

my first choice will always be a black kitty

We now have 4 cats. One is a tortie...very dark but shes a luv bug. Our other is a big black cat that we specifically went to the shelter to find. I asked for a male, that might not ever be adopted. Out of a small two by two cage they brought out the most perfect long haired black boy weighing 11 pounds at 9 months old.

He was born at the shelter and had been there all that time. Hubby picked him up and he just purred and layed limp in his arms and stretched his front paws out to me. "Thats the one and we'll take him." The shelter was so happy. He was the most overlooked cat they had. He is so layed back and mellow lol..nothing bothers him. He plays with my german shepherd and acts like he's a dog!

Our other cat is a long haired 8 year old tabby that was a stray and starving in a town close to us. Walked into petsmart and they were having a special event with cats that day. Hubby walked over and she layed her head in his hand and fell asleep. Took her home too. She's gray/white and black. We were looking at the kitten's after we had filled out the paperwork for her, just playing with them and the lady said oh please dont change your mind. She'll never get adopted.
Nope..no way. Sadie is the greeter here. Loves everyone and likes to be in the thick of things!
I have got to figure out how to post some pics!

We are lucky with black and whites, they actually do go fairly quickly and the blacks we have in the shelter have not been with us too long but they are slower to be picked than the others. The ones we have had longer - A siamese with tabby markings with piercing blue eyes, a torbie and two whites.

It helps that a lot of our blacks been long-haired as they go a little quicker than the shorthaired blacks but I think most people do choose on personality but they are not willing to even meet the black ones

I hope what I said wasn't misinterpreted - I sure don't care that Batman is hard to photograph. I just wonder if that is another issue with adoptions because their online cat profiles might not have the best pictures.

My sister in law has a black dog - it's such a wonderful family dog and so loving, but she can 'look' scary because she's a big black dog. She was a sweet pup from the pound.

I know some people who prefer black kitties because they are so elegant looking and pretty. I tend to think all kitties are pretty...

Most of the farm cats are darker colored.

The three I recently rescued are B&W and black. Sadly their owner got evicted and just left their cats after putting them outside. The owner of the house was going to use them as target practice...No way was that gonna happen I really want to keep the two B&W boys but the black girl can't stay at the farm as she needs to be an only cat. She sees another cat and will try to bite the person holding her.

My most recent group of foster kittens are 5 kittens from two litters. The slightly older litter originally had 4...the two "better marked" kittens went quickly, leaving the tortie and the patched tabby behind. Those two girls developed the most loving personalities I have ever seen. Ever. The other three I have are from a litter taken from a hoarder's house. They were completely unsocialized. But they're beautiful kittens. Everybody calls for them, but when they meet them, they're too shy. They won't even give a look at the tortie and patched tabby (not the most distinct tabby pattern). One time the tortie curled up on this girl's lap, and I don't think she even noticed. She certainly didn't pet her. She left and never called because the "prettier" one they wanted wasn't quite friendly enough.

Just the other night a couple came to look at the "prettier" kittens...they really wanted to love them, and they did appreciate them, but the "less pretty" kittens (and 5 months old to boot) put on a show! They climbed all over them, jumped up on their shoulders, showed their bellies, and purred the whole time. Needless to say, they won the day, and just today those kittens finally went to their new home after 5 months of being overlooked!

Here are the lucky girls!




Also, I try to help out by taking pictures of foster babies in other homes. Yes, the black and torties are so hard to get just right. I have to show off one picture I took. I took so many of him to try to get him just right. He's a stunning boy with copper-penny colored eyes. And yes, shortly after I took pics of him and his sister, they were adopted! Isn't he stunning?