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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

black cats

49 replies

paneer · 08/06/2013 22:08

cheesy cat came to live with us a couple of weeks ago from a local shelter. they were saying its hard to rehome black and black/white cats. I find this puzzling.
Any idea why? To me cat is a cat, right?

OP posts:

Original poster

paneer · 09/06/2013 19:48

cheesy cat is also looking a tinge ginger in the sun. wonder what will happen to her coat.

when I went to the vet the other day I said about her being black and 'invisible' at night and he thinks all cats are invisible to cars. if they are going to run into the road they are going to do it and doesn't matter if they are bright pink.

OP posts:

Original poster

paneer · 09/06/2013 19:50

also glad I am in this exclusive black cat brigade. love my black cheesy cat

OP posts:

DontCallMeBaby · 09/06/2013 20:12

There's a link to black cats from the black dog syndrome Wikipedia page - it says they can 'rust' in the sun, presumably at any age. Mine are tuxes, and in strong sunlight their black looks brown, you can even see tabby markings (their mother was tabby).

I always find it odd when someone says they're looking for a cat/kitten of a particular colour - personally it's tabbies I think are a bit boring, while silver tabbies are rather beautiful, but I wouldn't choose a cat on their colour.

ZebraOwl · 10/06/2013 02:05

Here's the press release from Cats Protection about last year's National Black Cat day.

The superstitions surrounding black cats are discussed in this Wikipedia entry.

I find it terribly sad people dismiss black[&white] cats without bothering to try to get to know them. I did have to choose my cats on looks as they had only ever seen 2 humans before coming here & not much of either of them, so personalities were unknown, but if I were rich enough to be able to I'd gladly have taken the whole litter (3 black, 2 ginger, 1 blond) as they were all beautiful. Even the tiniest of the black kittens (runt of the litter) who appeared to have Cerebellar Hypoplasia was gorgeous. Blond!cat has the showier looks, but black!cat is a Very Handsome Feline too.

I've always had a soft spot for black cats: my maternal grandmother had a black cat when I was very wee & I adored Blue. My uncle rescued him from the oil-drum (filled with water) in which the rest of the litter & their mother had been drowned - he was cycling past a building site & heard the faint meowling & went to the rescue. He was a student at the time so the kitten went to live with Granny & became Her Cat. He must have been about 11 when I was born & I think I was 7 or 8 when he died so he did pretty well for a cat who'd had such a tough start.

TooTabooToBoo · 10/06/2013 04:06

Another black cat with a tinge of ginge here, very odd! She's coming up 5 and has a band of rust on her back, looks,like she's tried a home dye kit and got it terribly wrong!

I never knew that black cats were considered undesirable. People are weird.

bootsycollins · 10/06/2013 05:40

Our first cat was a black beauty, he was such a lovely handsome boy. Everytime I see a black cat I think of him and I still miss him and his cute little black nose. We now have a black and white boy whom we all adore, another handsome sweetheart.

Helpnoidea · 10/06/2013 17:42

Can't believe people think black cats are boring! My boy (who we lost this year) was big, black, glossy and grumpy as hell. I'm sure there was a touch of panther in him somewhere. His sister is black too and definitely looks 'rusty' in the sun. I'm sure I read somewhere that truly black cats are unusual and most are vvvvv dark brown. Perhaps that explains it?

PlentyOfPubeGardens · 10/06/2013 17:48

My black cat turned 21 yesterday She's still proper black and hasn't gone brown, even in the sun. If I got another, I'd like a black one again. The biggest advantage is I wear black a lot and the hairs don't show.

greenhill · 10/06/2013 18:03

My beautiful, black, long haired cat had been the longest resident at Battersea and was chosen for that very reason. In her cage, she hissed at me, tried to scratch me when I stroked her and was very nervous. It took her nearly 10 years to realise that she was not going to be hit when we raised our arms (even lifting a cup of tea off a side table would make her run out of the room).

She is now 18, very affectionate, is in great condition, and tolerates the DC .

frillyflower · 10/06/2013 20:10

Two black cats like mini panthers watching me type this. I think they are the coolest colour for cats actually!

bootsycollins · 10/06/2013 22:55

Happy birthday pubecat

NettoSuperstar · 11/06/2013 15:52

I got a beautiful all black kitten today.

PiratesLifeForMe · 11/06/2013 16:24

I adopted a beautiful black kitten last November, the shelter told me the same thing - no idea how anyone could look at her little face and think she's unlucky!

She drives me mad sometimes - usually during the 4am crazy bursts of energy she likes to 'share' with me or when a guest sits on my sofa and she climbs up behind them to sniff their hair 'sorry...just a thing she does. No, I don't know why either..', or as she flies past our eyes during the latest super-kitten display while we attempt to chat but I love her to bits & think I'm very lucky to have her!

And even when she insists on escorting me to the loo. She's a little weirdo

NettoSuperstar · 11/06/2013 17:41

My cat tries to sit on my knee when I'm on the loo, and goes mad for mushrooms, develops springs in her feet and leaps around.
She walks round and round on me in the night until I wake up and cuddle her, or decides she wants to sleep on my pillow.

Who knows what the new kitten will do.

I'll love her anyway, I am turning into crazy cat lady.

blackbirdatglanmore · 11/06/2013 22:18

I love black cats with green eyes :)

My kittens came from a rescue centre (actually all my cats did - I have three) and when I rang up the owner asked if I had any colour preference. I didn't but I said I did love black and black and white. I now have two black and white fluffy cats and they are beautiful, everyone comments on it. To be honest my ginger cat isn't 'handsome'; he is a bit weird looking but he's so loving and surely that's what matters when you choose a cat?

ZebraOwl · 12/06/2013 11:22

greenhill
It's awesome that you were able to give your cat a loving home & weren't put off by her (completely understandable given what she must have suffered ) behaviour. It makes me so angrysad that people treat animals so badly. My next door neighbours' last Big Dog (they now have two Small Dogs as feel they wouldn't be able to exercise a Big Dog properly any more) had obviously at some point been beaten using a walking stick &/or crutches because he would do that kind of terrified-defensive hackles-raised growl as soon as he saw the things. Which could be a bit awkward. He also went bananas if he saw someone smoking, having had cigarettes stubbed out on him so many times. I often think people who mistreat animals should have the same things done to them. Despite my abhorrence of violence. Ugh.

PiratesLifeForMe
That all sounds rather familiar - though mine are too wary of strangers to go for the hairsniff. People they think they can trust, however... My blond!cat also has a deep desire to be allowed to wash & style my hair. Funnily enough, that longing is constantly being frustrated...

NettoSuperstar
Yay new kitten! I hope that new!kitten settles in well with NettoCat Am quite glad that mine no longer demand to sit on my lap when I'm on the loo as a matter of course. Black!cat now likes to sit on top of the cistern & headbut across my shoulders: is actually a wee bit like a shoulder rub. With bonus enthusiastic purring. And the occasional startle from a cold little nose booping my neck...

neontetra · 12/06/2013 11:32

My black cat goes rusty in the sun, too! She is a bit of a terror, but getting better. She's calmed down a lot since we had dd, for some reason. She came from an abusive pet-hoarding situation, so maybe she is happier with more beings in the house.
I would definitely recommend black and black and white cats - all the ones I have known have been just as fab and individual as cats of other colours.
White cats are my personal faves, thought. I would love a massive white cat, like I had as a child.

greenhill · 12/06/2013 20:51

Thanks for the useful info ZebraOwl I'll show it to DH too. We have various Bastets and a postcard of Le Chat Noir too.

ZebraOwl · 14/06/2013 08:42

You're welcome

I really REALLY want this t-shirt. Ninja!kitties FTW - my black moglet's name sometimes gets lengthened out to Ninjainsky because of his black-cat ninja!skillz...

jessjessjess · 15/06/2013 11:04

People who think black cats are bad luck have missed the rest of the superstition: apparently you avoid the bad luck by owning one.

I always wanted a black cat as I read lots of stories about witches as a kid.

jessjessjess · 15/06/2013 11:05

Oh and ours goes rusty in sunlight too, kind of like diet coke.

Breezy1985 · 15/06/2013 11:16

I love black & white cats, we have 2. One of them, the mostly black one goes rusty in the sun and he's just over a year old

LtheWife · 15/06/2013 20:30

We adopted a black longhaired moggy with an amputated tail who had been at the rehoming centre for months and are about to bring home a black kitten that no one else wanted. I do love black cats!

blackbirdatglanmore · 15/06/2013 21:03

That's lovely L. How could no one want a black kitten?

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