Every Color Deserves a Forever Home

Cat Noir is dedicated to all cats because they all deserve to be cared for and loved. There is a special spot in my heart, and the beating pulse of this blog, for black cats who have a rougher go of it than felines of other colors.

Black cats and dogs can languish in a no-kill shelter cage longer, or be euthanized more readily in other shelters, than their colorful counterparts mostly because of the stigma that surrounds them.

Black cats have a bad rap because superstition surrounds the color of their fur, which is associated with witchcraft and satanic ritual. This isn’t the Middle Ages. If you would like to revisit that time, might I suggest you start by disconnecting your electricity, sewer and smart phones? I am running a sale on chamber pots if you should need one. Then there is the bad luck associate with black cats. They do not precipitate bad luck anymore than stepping on a crack will break your mother's back. If you still have doubts, ride an albatross with a four-leaf clover glued to your forehead when running errands. Black cats also suffer from the perception that they are not as photogenic as their counterparts. Yes, it takes a little more skill, a little more light and perhaps a little more patience, but very few cats are eager to have their picture taken resulting in 99 out of a hundred blurred shots of the cat's backside. There have even been a few articles about them not looking good in selfies, newsflash—most of us don’t look good in selfies. Seriously, how many do you take before you actually post one?

During the month of October, many shelters won't let people adopt black cats to keep them out of the hands of those looking for a Halloween party accessory. Let’s face it, some humans should be carved rather than pumpkins. All sentient beings deserve to be treated with kindness and dignity.

I have three black cats. Whiskey (RIP) who adopted me, Boris who I adopted from a volunteer organization that helps find cats and kittens homes, and Virgil who was found near death in a gutter. When I adopted Boris, his foster mother hugged me because she was so worried that he would be left behind by all the people fawning over the calicos, the torties, the tabbies and the tuxedos. I wouldn’t trade Whiskey, Boris or Virgil for anything in the world, not because they are black, but because they part of my family.

Remember, black absorbs all the visible colors of the spectrum. In, this case, what it reflects is up to you.

Theresa-Marie Wilson (T) is the founder of Cat Noir CC, a humorous glimpse at life with her three cats Whiskey, Boris and Virgil who have been pawing their way across social media since 2015. To keep up with their daily antics, follow the Cat Noir CC gang on Facebook and Instagram.