Black Cat Appreciation Day

August 17th is Black Cat Appreciation Day. While I appreciate my cat every day, I still think it’s pretty neat that there is a Holiday to celebrate black cats in particular. Throughout history, they have gotten a bad rap, sadly. Black cats certainly deserve a day for themselves.

Black cats, (and black animals in general), are the last to be adopted, and the first to be euthanized due to longstanding superstitions that continue to this day throughout many cultures across the world. They have been attributed to witches, evil, and bad luck. During the middle ages, anyone who owned a black cat would be put to death, often in a dramatic ceremony with the entire village present. Black cats would also be put to death, right alongside their owner. Fewer cats meant more rats… which led to the bubonic plague.

But not all cultures were black cat phobic. For example, Japanese, British, and Scottish people loved black cats, and considered them to be bringers of good luck, and prosperity. Why there was such a vast difference among the United States and parts of Europe versus other cultures, I’m not sure. But depending on where black cats lived, they were either feared then killed, or spoiled, loved, depicted in beautiful art, and then mummified with their owners after they passed… It just depended where they happened to be born.

If you are interested in adopting a black cat, August 17th would be a great day to do so, as many shelters are having special deals, and reduced prices on their black cats in honor of the holiday. So get out there and get yourself a black beauty!