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- On average, black cats take 29 days to find a home, says the RSPCA
- In comparison, gray tabby cats are rehomed in just nine days
Black rescue cats can take up to three times longer to return to their homes, according to the RSPCA, with many people believing they are unlucky.
On average, black cats take 29 days to find a home, compared to gray cats, which are rehomed in just nine days, the animal charity says.
Black cats, black and white cats, are the species most likely to end up in the care of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), with more than 5,000 of them entering its centers nationally since 2020, new figures show.
Many people are still superstitious about these cats, associating them with magic or believing that a black cat crossing your path will bring you bad luck.
They are also not as “selfie-friendly” as other cats, with black cats being judged less beautiful in Instagram posts because their features may not show up as well in photos.
Black rescue cats can take up to three times longer to return to their homes, according to the RSPCA, with many people believing they are unlucky.
About 82% of national RSPCA centers have heard of people looking to adopt a pet sharing the myth that black cats are unlucky.
“In reality, black cats won’t bring you bad luck – but they need forever homes,” said Dominika Jagoda, scientific and policy officer at the pets division of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
“The color of an animal’s fur makes no difference to the amount of love it should give.
“If you can bring some magic into their lives, they will surely bring some love into yours – so they make your day lucky.”
The fight to bring back black cats, unveiled today on National Black Cat Day, and just in time for Halloween, follows research showing that black cats are more likely to be portrayed as villains in movies and TV shows.
An analysis of 50 famous cats in films with a significant amount of screen time, and 50 cats with important roles in TV shows, by digital marketing agency Evoluted, showed that almost half of the ‘evil’ screen cats were black or grey.
An example is Salem – the wizard-turned-black cat who appeared on the popular TV show Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Meanwhile, Moggie Lucifer’s murderous character in Disney’s classic Cinderella is in black and white.
Black cats, black and white cats, are the species most likely to end up in the care of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), with more than 5,000 of them entering its centers nationally since 2020, new figures show.
The month-long rehoming campaign organized by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Adoptober, has highlighted the collapse in rehoming rates, which are down by almost a third compared to three years ago, when 39,178 rescued animals were rehomed.
In 2022, just 27,535 animals were rehomed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), and the charity has warned that many of its centers are “full to bursting”.
“Unfortunately, many people don’t want to rehome black cats because they don’t think they look good in photos and selfies, or they aren’t Instagrammable,” said Dominika Jagoda, scientific and policy officer at the RSPCA’s pets division. ‘ Adequate.
“As all loving owners know, owning a pet is about so much more than just the pretty pictures we take of them.”
(Tags for translation) Daily Mail