Murky menace or black beauties?

 

Black kittens (who are often actually not black at all, but all shades of brown - hence the inconsistent use of inverted commas hereafter) are some of the friendliest felines I have met. And no, this doesn't mean that I will make any sweeping generalisations about connections between coat colour and personality.

It's just that I can't recall a single 'black' kitten who was reluctant to cuddle or play. What I can remember of our time with the dark-furred felines is heaps of joy, and hours of cuddle time, but also frustration over people's hesitance to adopt the 'black' ones. To be honest, I find it difficult to comprehend someone's aversion towards an animal because of the colour of their coat. But then I also don't understand people who shop for a pet with a certain look, as if purchasing an accessory, or an addendum to their image. Yet this happens more often than feels comfortable to admit. For example, you might find that any self-respecting witch simply cannot have a tabby or a calico or a ginger or - heaven forbid - a white cat. No! Their look demands a black feline ornament. Just as you'd be hard-pressed to find a Goth owning a non-black cat, because you know, stylistic considerations and all that. So, what's the problem, you might say - it's clear that there are some people out there who really want black cats specifically. So you just have to find them😉

It's easier said than done, it seems. Unfortunately, there's still a lot of powerful mythology preventing people from opting for a 'black' cat. People believe that they're bad luck, mysterious, dangerous, and downright scary. Are they, though? Or are we just a bit dim? You'd think we'd moved past earnestly considering someone's natural appearance to be an indication of their character/worth/intelligence/friendliness? But, just as racism among humans is alive and well, so is superficial superstition towards animals. But, you may say, in some cultures people believe the black cat to be a sign of good luck - so what's wrong with that, isn't that a good thing? Well, I think it goes without saying that this is just the other side of this coin of ridiculousness.

And we all probably could and should try to enlighten ourselves a tad. Perhaps the next time we find ourselves thinking something somewhat outrageous about an animal, we should ask what is the source of that information in our head? And if the answer is something along the lines of 'Sure, isn't it what they all say?' or 'Sure, everyone knows that!', then maybe we should abandon the thought and try to find a new one. For example, if we one day find ourselves thinking that a black cat crossing the road is a bad omen, maybe we should immediately decide to go and find out how many scientists have conducted successful experiments on the matter and how many times have those studies been successfully replicated. If the answer to those questions is nil - well, we should probably take it as a sign to move on, perhaps after extrapolating this discovery to other superstitions about black cats (I know this is not a commendable scientific approach, but I'd suggest it's a safer bet than considering all cats of the same coat to be of the same character and/or possess some supernatural qualities.

Look, I've no qualms about people using the shape or image of a black cat as a symbol of something tantalisingly mysterious - it's a great accompaniment to Halloween celebrations and other fun 'scary' events. So, it's great for great fun. And their supple silhouette can be truly striking (ask Toulouse-Lautrec, if you don't believe me😉). But when this ooh-they-are-so-mysterious-and-scary mindset affects people's attitudes towards actual flesh and blood animals, then it's - what's the word - oh yes, bonkers! To put it mildly. Yes, it seems quite silly (I'm euphemising, of course;) to let unsubstantiated prejudices prevent us from having normal interactions with the natural world. Perhaps if we imagine another term instead of 'a black cat' in a potential superstitious statement, it might help poke a hole in our ignorance? Let's try one: 'If a blond toddler crosses the road in front of you, it means that your house will burn down during the first full moon of the next leap year!' It's true, you know😉

So let's try not to confuse actual physical beings with their images. The qualities with which we charge images should not be too readily applicable to living creatures. How very medieval of us to believe that certain fellow earthlings possess some innate supernatural ability to affect our lives in certain predetermined ways! But, yes, I understand that superstitions are hard to shake off (and often they are of course smoothly appropriated by organised religions, which, I suppose, gives them a 'legitimate' edge). However, there are different levels of superstitious silliness, aren't there? A few knocks on wood now and again is probably not going to do much damage to anyone, the wood included. But how debilitating is it if my prejudice precludes me from having any normal interactions with a cat of of a certain colour, or if it makes me intolerant towards them? Surely it can't be good for my mental well-being to harbour resentment towards someone based on their appearance?

Anyway, as I have already mentioned, it can be challenging to find homes for the 'black' beauties, and over time some of them have actually been adopted overseas. I know that having access to good people in the UK and elsewhere in Europe is beneficial in many cases, such as for finding homes for some special needs animals, or perhaps for those that are discarded by some gross 'sport' industry. However, the mere colour of an animal's coat as a reason for them to have to travel abroad to find a home seems a little frivolous. In my humble opinion.

So, here are a few of the black fur babies we've had here:

Orlando

Bloom (yes, a little nod to Miranda with those two;)

Bella

Brownie (yes, a not-so-subtle way of saying that she's not really black at all;)

Bella and Brownie were kind of my pet project for a while. I had decided that they had to find homes in Ireland. So I tried to utilise the old social media. I've never taken more pictures of any other cats, I think. I also had never gone all gimmicky on photo sessions with other cats, but with these girls I used props and everything. For instance, I did one that was rugby-related - I guess some tournament was ongoing at the time, so I decided to exploit it. Regardless, both Orlando & Bloom and Bella & Brownie still ended up travelling to the UK. Should've tried harder, I guess. But I hope they're really happy, wherever they are.

Bella and Brownie posing as black cats:)

Nonetheless, most cats (even the black ones) do find their homes here on the emerald isle, and here are a few true beauties we've had the pleasure to meet:

Barry - what a cat! I was in constant awe of his beauty and personality.

Charlie - his was an amazing adoption experience: his future human had come to see some kittens, and as soon as Charlie emerged from the tunnel, she fell in love! And the rest is history:)

And of course George and Pippa, Poppy's black babies