If you’re reading this article, this is your sign to go to your local animal shelter and adopt a new furry family member.
My mother loves cats and for the longest time, I could not say the same. Up to the national lockdown from the COVID-19 pandemic I never really considered myself obsessed until my mom came home with a litter of 12 kittens in an attempt to foster them and find the cats new homes.
From hand-feeding the cats to teaching them how to drink out of a water bowl, I became obsessed with the little lions running around my home.
Each weekend we would take the kittens to our local PetSmart in an attempt to get the cats adopted. One by one each cat found a home and, eventually, months later we were left with one cat, Nebula.
Nebula was the runt of the litter and never ended up getting very big. Due to her small stature and the stigma surrounding black cats, Nebula never found a home outside our four walls.
Each week, Nebula would get more withdrawn as she anticipated her routine trip to the pet store. Eventually, she was deemed as a foster fail and my mom wrote the check to take this baby home. At the time, I did not want another cat in my already pet-flooded home and I was mad at my mom for choosing to adopt another animal.
Entirely or primarily black-colored cats are the least likely to get adopted and most likely to be euthanized out of cat breeds. This is because black cats tend to be more difficult to photograph which leads to less attractive adoption listings as well as the stigma implying that black cats are bad luck.
Despite this generalization surrounding black cats, black cats are some of the most social cats. They learn your schedule and consistently want to play.
Over the years, this cat has become one of my best friends to FaceTime and demand pictures of while away at school.
Out of every cat that I have had, Nebula is the only cat where I have been able to teach tricks.
However, in my five years of owning my black little fur baby, I have known nothing but love and silly pictures. She is the best decoration for Halloween and is a supermodel when it comes to picture taking.
Also, no one is able to tell when a black cat sheds on your clothes.
This fall, consider taking a new fur baby into your family and help end the stereotype around black cats. These little ones deserve loving homes just as much as their counterparts — adopting is not only a charitable action for an animal but is an act of self-love.
It is important to make sure that a pet is the right match for you and your family, so when considering which animal to take home consider your schedule and the love you have to give to the pet, not just the stories surrounding the color of their fur.
Adopting a black cat could bring you some of the best luck you have ever had.