Casper is now Cassie
I write this article in praise of black cats and the people who cherish them. Black cats most often are the last selected for adoption. The same holds true with black dogs. I'm here today to tell you black cats are the greatest!
I'll be the first to admit I'd only adopted one black cat prior to beginning my rescue. The year was 1985 and her name was Peeper. I loved her and she turned out to be a great companion, but her early years turned me against black cats for a long time. If I'd known then what I know now, I'd have recognized her as a feral who needed extra love.
Peeper was eight weeks old when I adopted her. We spent the first hour at home with me chasing her around the couch while my daughter Laura laughed at us. She grew into an independent, sneaky cat who didn't want a lot of human contact. In her later years she was very loving and extremely intelligent, but those first few years made me wary of black cats. She lived to the age of nine until a pack of dogs came into our yard and killed her. I'll always miss Peeper.
Fast forward to 2011 when I went on my first black cat rescue. Her name was Scrawny and she was listed as a two month old male turned into Greenville County Animal Care following a blizzard. Something about her picture spoke to me and I knew I had to have her. Here's her arrival story. https://pictures-of-cats.org/casper-the-invisible-kitten.html. We only found out she was a girl shortly before she was spayed and she turned her tail in my face and showed me her true gender.
So Casper became Cassie and she's now 11 months old. Cassie is a very laid back cat. She checks for an empty lap every time she takes a stroll through my living room. If my daughter or myself has a free spot for her she comes over for some major petting. Cassie is not only beautiful, she's beautiful on the inside. I'm so glad we rescued her.
Midnight Munchkin Whineybutt was our second black cat rescue. Here's her story. Midnight was also listed on the shelter paperwork as a "he" and turned out to be a "she." She was a member of the Maine Coon family we lost to feline distemper (panleuk) and the only surviving kitten. I did an article awhile ago on how black cats are healthier than other cats and I believe this is why she survived.
Midnight has always been a snuggle bug. She's not happy unless she's curled up in a lap or on the couch cushion between us. And Midnight knows her name and comes when called.
Cassie has a nurturing personality and often lays with the younger rescues. Midnight now plays with all of the kittens and we believe she'll be a HUGE cat when she matures.
Midnight and Cassie have gotten me hooked on black cats.
I don't believe superstition plays as big a part in black cat rejection as much as the sheer number in shelters does. I've visited the back room where I rescue and there are so many black cats. When confronted with cage after cage of cats who all look alike on the outside, it's easy to see why they're not chosen. The human eye is trained to spot the unusual. We see cats with unusual color patterns or colors and the black cats fade from our mind.
If people going into a shelter to adopt would just slow down and really connect with each black cat they see, I'm convinced there's a black cat out there for every cat lover. Don't rush past the cages toward the other cats without giving the black ones every consideration they deserve.
I do have a question for the readers out there. Are black cats calmer these days than they were 25 years ago? Did my cat Peeper fit the description of a feral or did the black cats of the 1980's have a different temperament? I'm just curious because she's the only "wild" kitten I adopted back in those days.
I'm fortunate to have such loving companions in my two black rescues.
And I'd love to hear comments from those of you who have black cat companions. Are they all as my Cassie and Midnight are. In other words TOTAL SNUGGLE BUGS? My babies are beautiful not only in appearance, but on the inside as well. I also like to know what persuaded those of you with black cats to adopt your cat.
Elisa