There Are 22 Breeds Of Black Cat – More Than Any Other Color

Don’t be superstitious on National Black Cat Day! October 27th celebrates the beauty of these sleek creatures and seeks to raise awareness about the low adoption rates for black cats.

• 2181 BC – In ancient Egypt, cats were revered highly, partly because they could combat vermin such as mice and rats.
• 1500 BC – The goddess of warfare was a woman with the head of a cat named Bastet.
• 476 BC – 1500 AD – Somewhere during the Middle Ages, Europeans got the idea that black cats were associated with witchcraft. The elderly, solitary women who often fed and cared for stray cats were also often (mis) identified as witches and the cats as their conspirators.
• 1232 – This 13th Century Latin church document is where Pope Gregory IX first suggested black cats were associated with Satan
• 1843 – Edgar Allen Poe published his story “The Black Cat” in 1843, about a murderer carefully concealing a crime, but eventually breaking down and revealing himself because of a nagging reminder of his guilt.
• 1880 – Since the 1880s, the color black has been associated with anarchism, and the black cat in alert, fighting stance was later adopted as an anarchist symbol
• 1958 – There is only one black cat in the world of domestic felines. This is the Bombay cat, which was first bred in Kentucky in 1958.
• 2016 – Gladstone, a black cat, became Chief Mouser to the Treasury in the United Kingdom
• In ancient times cats of royalty were known to be dressed in golden jewelry and were allowed to eat right off their owners’ plates.
• In Celtic mythology, it was believed that fairies could take the form of black cats, and therefore their arrival at a home or village was seen as a sign of good luck.
• There are 22 breeds of black cat – more than any other color.
• In Britain and Japan, many people have a ‘lucky black cat’ in the form of a keyring or other trinket, while in Scotland, a strange black cat visiting the home signifies prosperity.
• When considering a ‘ship’s cat’ sailors often choose a black cat to bless their journey with good luck.  Fishermen’s wives would also have a black cat at home as they believed that this too would help to protect their husbands while they were at sea.
• Most black cats are friendly and sweet natured, often seeking cuddles with their nominated human.
• If you’re a single woman in Japan, owning a black cat is said to increase your number of suitors.
• If you’re in Germany and one crosses your path from right to left, good things are on the horizon.
• In Russia, all cats are viewed as lucky.
• Black cats can be boys or girls, but more are male than female.
• According to PETA, black cats are two-thirds less likely to be adopted than white cats and are fifty percent less likely to be adopted than tabby cats.
• Black cats are quintessential Halloween icons—and the number one costume choice for both elementary-aged children and women in their freshman year of college,
• In Great Britain’s English Midlands, a black cat is the ideal wedding gift; they’re believed to bring good luck and happiness to the bride.
• If you have ever glanced at your black cat and thought they looked ginger, you’re correct. In addition to a few black cats being purely black, their fur can rust in the sun. Prolonged exposure to the sun’s rays can change the shade of a black cat’s fur.    We refer to this as rusting because it turns a shade of orange. This is because the sun’s rays are breaking down the cat’s melanin pigment. Also, red is the other dominant color gene in cat fur. As a result of all this, the tabby pattern in your cat’s DNA will be exposed.
• Black cats also find their lustrous fur changing color as they age.

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Days of the Year

Sure Pet Care

Mental Floss

The Spruce Pets

Senior Cat Wellness

National Today