Why do people not like black cats?

I LOVE black cats!  Sadly, out of my 3 Black Beauties, only 1 is still alive--Loki.  I never want to be without at least 1 black cat--and there's nothing more beautiful than a black Maine Coon.

Maybe it's also due to the fact that it's hard to discern their facial features, though I reallty think it's due to superstition/legend, etc.

In England, however, black cats are considered lucky!

MargeCat said:

In England, however, black cats are considered lucky!

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Are there stats on adoption rates for black cats in England?

I love black kitties. One day I'll have a little black boy named Licorice. The fact that they are adopted less makes me want one more.

robin623 said:

Why do people not like blackcats?
I wonder if anyone with opinion?

Thanks :cat:

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I don't know but I sure love mine! This is Hoot!

My Jade is a giant goof, and possibly not quite right in the head, I tell her all the time that she's lucky she's cute.

At our shelter, we do have trouble getting black cats adopted.  I always try to show off the nice ones, such as Ninja, a beautiful guy who could have passed for a black Maine Coon.  Wonderful cat.  I believe we transferred him to the Dallas SPCA, which has a very aggressive adoption program.  We have one who I have tried to get adopted several times; sweet, people-dependent, lap-seeking girl with a little white and the most gorgeous copper eyes.
 

well I have always had ginger boys just my thing but a wile ago now we got my step daughters to girls 1 tuxido and 1 black and I love them to pices but if I was going out to get me a kitty I would still get a ginger boy just what I like something in there faces I think I love all kittys but I have a real love for the ginger guys but thats just me but I adore the girls cant imagine life with out them now
 

I don't have a favorite with colors or markings except the Siamese.  I think that's more a matter of the typical Siamese personality than the markings.  When I adopt again it will be an adult rather than a kitten partly because of my age so they don't outlive me or my ability to keep them and partly because the kitten's are more easily adopted.  I will also probably look for a black cat or a tuxedo because they are also more difficult to get adopted.

I never seem to care what the kitty looks like, I base my opinion on personality.
 

OMGOODNESS!!! there are so many cute pics of black cats. i it.

i must admit that i didn't actually like black cats before getting Bella. i thought they were boring being JUST BLACK. but of course when i set eyes on Bella at a couple hours old...you all know the rest.
 

i know a couple ppl who believe the stupid superstition about black cats too..but they don't disciminate. they better not if they plan to come to my home. becuz my cats are very smart as well.

but when i tell my friends that they are just mixed breeds, they kind of think twice.

Bella  is part Himalayan/Siamese/Tabby ...i know this for a fact becuz my sister had the grandmother  (Himalayan) and mother  (Himalayan/Siamese) of Bella.  and we knew the neighborhood male who is the daddy (he is the darker color). Bella also has a really small spot of white on her chest.
as for Sassy, we are not sure of all the breeds she is mixed with, but we believe one thing MAY BE Siamese..becuz of her size, facial/eyes shape. she does have a little but of tabby strips that you can see in the sun. so we figure that is part of the mix as well. she does have random white hairs thru her coat too. who knows? she is beautiful and that is all that matters. and she is my cuddle baby.

Ivee on the other hand...we really don't know what the dad is mixed with. my friends daughter who owns momma says he IS part Tabby. and the momma is black and white. but Ivee is like a dark brown color with a light color under her top coat..with some white on her belly and a small area of white on her chest.

OOHHH!!! and to add....i am not sure of laws on other states.....but....

here in SD County, shelters, pounds, cat rescues, etc. are NOT allowed to adopt out black cats from the beginning of Oct thru Mid Nov...becuz of the Halloween and ppl adopting them just for cruel reasons. makes me so angry to know ppl can be so cruel to an innocent animal. but then again, i am happy that it IS THE LAW. that saves a lot of kitties lives.

so i watch out for my grrlz when it comes around time for Halloween. i really don't want some sicko coming around acting mean to my grrlz thru the window and needing to get their you know what beat. there are ppl around here that WOULD do that too.

Because some people lack taste?  After all, a non-black cat is just a cat but a black cat is a chat noir!  (Joking)

I love black cats, and refer to them as micro-panthers.  If I had to guess, it is because they are all one colour.  Perhaps people prefer multi-colour cats or cats with a pattern because they appear more distinctive, their colouration seeming more unique and thus having more "character"?  Just a guess.

It's the same around here that near Halloween black cats are not available for adoption. It's better to be safe than sorry, I think.

In South Africa some cultures have the superstition that cats (and especially BLACK cats) are evil because they steal your breath while you sleep. Some people even go as far as treating cats as pests, killing them if they find one. Needless to say, it happens more in the rural areas. These superstitions are firmly entrenched in most cultures here.

I love black cats though, I think they are awesome. Their personalities are more distinct in my opinion. I love my little black ball of fur to bits!

that's actually why i ended up adopting Sassy. (found her posted on craigslist) one of the reasons was becuz of the cats taking your breath thing. the lady i got Sassy from said that she recently had a granddaughter born and she was afraid for her safety becuz of the cat possibly getting in her face in her sleep and taking her breath

 i had to laugh inside so hard. if i laughed at her i am sure she would have thought i was nuts.

i have been around cats all my life and NEVER knew of anyone losing their life or child's life being taken, by a cat taking the breath away. so stupid, really.
 

Hahahahaha! At least Sassy ended up with you because of the superstition. One good thing that came out of it.

But I think that's why I also prefer black cats, because they're kind of the underdogs ('undercats'?) Of the catworld. People don't like them because they look unfriendly or unapproachable, and it's folly really. It's all in our minds, I think. Lol!

My3Grrlz said:

that's actually why i ended up adopting Sassy. (found her posted on craigslist) one of the reasons was becuz of the cats taking your breath thing. the lady i got Sassy from said that she recently had a granddaughter born and she was afraid for her safety becuz of the cat possibly getting in her face in her sleep and taking her breath

 i had to laugh inside so hard. if i laughed at her i am sure she would have thought i was nuts.

i have been around cats all my life and NEVER knew of anyone losing their life or child's life being taken, by a cat taking the breath away. so stupid, really.

 

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Yeah, I've heard that one, too.  When I had my first child, a few people asked me if I was going to get rid of Hester.  When I said no, they cautioned me to be extremely careful that Hester doesn't kill him in his sleep.  I was like, "Uhhh, yeah, I'll definitely tell Hester not to do that."

I don't think cats take people's breath away. That's silly. However, if I had a child I wouldn't let the cat sleep in the child's crib, simply becuase the child could put it's face in it's fur or something and suffocate. Or the cat could sit on its face.

And before you laugh, my cat sits on MY face in the morning to wake me up to feed him, and the cat I had when I was a kid once lay across my face when I was sleeping and I woke up because I couldn't breathe and realized I had a face full of cat lol.

I would only keep a cat and a baby separated though. A toddler and older child could sit up and move around and I wouldn't fear about that happening to them, just to a baby that couldn't move very well yet. That being said, it would be extremely rare for something like that to happen (and it has nothing to do with the cat's fur color). I'd feel the same way about a cuddly dog.

Yeah, I didn't let any pets into the baby's room while they slept.  For a lot of reasons, really.  I thought it more likely that the pets would simply wake them up.  Suffocation would be extremely unlikely.  Even a newborn can and will thrash around pretty good if you cover their faces and I know my cat wouldn't just lay on a thrashing baby, if for no other reason than it's not comfortable!  I don't worry at all now.  My youngest is two and she's perfectly capable of shoving a cat off her.  

"Feed me human, I shall sit on your face until you feed me."

Whahahaha! That's brilliant! What an interesting kitty. I love it.

I can understand keeping cats away from babies for that reason, it makes sense. Maybe that's how the myth came to be in the first place.