Black cat personalities are as different from cat to cat as they are from breed to breed (or no breed). A lot of people look at a black cat and don’t see beyond the color. This is bad for both those looking for a loving cat as well as the black cats, who stand a 50% greater chance of euthanasia because no one wants them. Many potential adopters can’t see past the color to the individual cat. Others are superstitious.
Since this is October, Halloween for us in the states, I’d like to tell the readers about our black cats.
We have three black cats in our home. Each is a different breed. Or should I say mixed breed in our case. And each has different personality traits.
First I’d like to say I had a black cat named Peeper many years ago. She was your typical short haired muscular black cat. Very intelligent, curious and very sneaky. She wore a red reflector tag on her collar so we could spot her at night and get her inside. Peeper would tuck her head into her chest and close her eyes to prevent us from seeing the reflector tag. Peeper was also very vocal.
Sealy reminds me a lot of Peeper. Especially in the vocalization. He meows quite loud when he wants something. Usually it means he wants a pack of his food. Once he reaches his ideal weight, he’ll be a muscular cat.
Peeper was never sick a day in her life. She got in a cat fight once and had to have a few stitches, but her health was great. Sealy hasn’t been sick either. He was injured, but as far as upper respiratory infections go, he’s been healthy. I did an article months ago about black cats being healthier and how their good health can be attributed to the same genes that make them black.
Our cat Midnight is very delicate. Her mother was a Maine Coon mix. She looks more like an Angora with the long hair and slim build. She has very long legs for a cat. She’s very loving and likes to be the center of attention. Midnight loves to try and pull the glasses off of Laura’s face.
Midnight had a case of full blown distemper within days of arriving in our home. The was during the outbreak that caused the shelter to euthanize over 100 kittens under the age of 4 months to get the illness under control. Midnight lost all of her brothers and sisters to the distemper. It was only through giving sub-q fluids, antibiotics and KMC kitten milk that she survived. The vet didn’t hold out much hope for her to pull through.
Statistics show that 90% of young kittens who have distemper die from it. Even with vet care. The care she received to pull her through is one reason she’s so spoiled now. Whenever we have a sick cat and have to give the KMC kitten formula, Midnight has to have a taste. We’ve pulled several sick cats through using the KMC, but Pedialyte seems to be the liquid of choice for sick cats. It’s just been easier to get the replacement formula into them using a syringe.
I can’t write an article about our black cats without telling the story of our Cassie. Cassie came to us in January 2011 as a very sick kitten. She had been found roaming near the interstate a week after a blizzard dumped over a foot of snow and ice on the area. We named him Casper because none of our other cats were curious about him. It was only after we had made an appointment for neutering that we learned Casper was a girl. The shelter had listed her as a boy and we never checked on our own. One night she turned her butt up in my face, and we had to make a call to the clinic to be sure they had time to do a spay instead of a neuter.
Cassie is a long haired solid black cat. She’s probably not a Maine Coon, but we’re not certain. Cassie spent her first few months living in a box on our feeding bar. Whenever she would wander away from her box, she thought if she could run back to her box should a cat chase her, that cat couldn’t enter her private sanctuary. You can imagine her surprise the first time Mandy chased her back into the box and followed her in. They soon started taking naps together.
Cassie is our quiet black cat. She lives privacy. She has hiding places and she also loves to lay on the cat tree in Laura’s room and look out the window. Cassie isn’t one for playing. She’d rather just lay around and watch the other cats. Sometimes she’ll come over and enjoy a little petting. It has to be on her terms. Cassie has turned into a very large cat, considering her shelter name was Scrawny. We have to watch Cassie when she eats, because she will lay across the food bowl and has even napped in that position. We have several feeding areas set up in case the cats can’t get to the bowl Cassie’s coveting.
You may not be able to adopt a black cat this month, as many shelters close black cat adoptions due to so many are tortured and killed as Halloween approaches.
We chose each of our black cats by the personality we could see waiting to be unleashed with a lot of love. I’d like to ask the readers with black cats why you chose that particular cat. I’m sure to get some sweet feedback on this one.
Elisa
Elisa:
You & Laura are a classic part of our unique group “cat lovers/helpers/rescuers” late husband & I have owned cat since a very young age (us NOT the cats)my first feline was when I was about 3 yrs old (Dad retired & I was born in Mexico)he loved cats & got his baby daughter a Gorgeous Havana Brown, I had a difficult time trying to carry her but she was my first cat & the begining of a long, long relationship with lots of felines. She passed away when I was about 7 yrs old, Dad died when I was nine. Soon my older brother got me a white/blue eye Angora, she became my friend & confidant, slept on my pillow. June 1965 moved to USA to continue school, family I stayed with had a friendly Tortie, but she picked who her human friends would be.
Got married before 18 (husband was also one of us)he owned an appliance repair business(Frank was a bit older than me, LOL)on a service call he was given a tiny grey tabby female kitten, she picked him as her human owner, unfortunately due to complications from an ear infection, she died before she was 3 yrs old, then we adopted a Blue Calico (instead of Black/Orange on white)Manchita (spots)was grey/tan/cream, a great hunter/mother. Sadly someone poisoned her & we had her euthanized. She was having horrible seizures. This was late 1976, after Keke adopted us (read Our Russian Blue Adopted Us 7/1976) Keke was a purebred Russian Blue, loved to ride in cars, take showers with Frank, chased large dogs but terrified of birds, unfortunately due to very bad teeth/stomachitis which affected his kidneys, Keke succumbed to Renal failure 10/88.On 7/1981 yrs before Keke died we found a moody Tortie, Panchita, she loved Frank, knew that I was the meal provider BUT hated our son with Mild Cerebral Palsy, she died peacefully in Franks arms 12/2001, vet said she was @ least 24 yrs old. 5/85 Snuggles became part of the family, true hunter, became blind due to Glaucoma by 1998, our cats were being taken care by 1 vet, Dr Sugasky, during a checkup on Panchita, vet inquired how Snuggles was getting along “Dr Sugasky, she caught a bird about a week ago”
Dr Sugasky responds “For being blind, she’s not doing too shabby”
Snuggles passed away 6/2004 in her sleep under my husband’s dining chair.
We had said “No more cats”, fast forward to October & during my husband’s daily walk he’s approached by a young Tortie, Frank pets her a few times close to the alley but by the time he reaches the street he hears a loud meow that says “Take me home please, I promise to be a good kitty, I know you & family love us” Frank places young kitty inside his jacket & she becomes part of our feline loving family. She was trained to wear a harness/leash, accompanies us during occasional walks. Named her “Scarlett O’Hair (Gone With The Wind) because she was determined to find a furever home. Oct 18, 2012 will her her 8th year since Scarlett O’Hair found her furever home with us. She’s quite a talker, not just with us but also with anyone that will listen to her chat.
As you can see each cat has it own personality with different traits but are loving, clean & unique. Looking forward to enjoying many yrs with Scarlett O’Hair. Hopefully our next rescue will be a black cat.
keenpetite
Southeast Arizona (USA)