Halloween is famous for pumpkins, costumes and candy – but another enduring and popular symbol of the day are witches and their black cats, which will no doubt inspire plenty of fancy dress among those who celebrate.
Though they’re a popular household pet, black felines are still associated with superstitions which have followed them throughout history.
Black cats are still less likely to be adopted from a shelter than their more colourful counterparts – but why?
Why are black cats less likely to be adopted?
On average, it takes 10 days longer to re-home a black cat or black and white cat than a ginger one, according to data from the RSPCA.
Tabbies were re-homed within an average of 23 days and ginger cats within 19.
The same 2018 study reported that black and white cats were the most common types to end up in their care – which would skew the data a little.
There is no specific reason why black or black and white cats may take longer to be adopted than cats of other colours – although superstition and their association with witches has previously been cited as a cause.
Another, more timely factor is the advent of social media – how cats might look when their photo appears online.
A Cats Protection spokesman told Metro.co.uk: ‘Since Black Cat Day launched in 2010, Cats Protection has explored reasons why black cats might be less popular, and worked to change perceptions.
‘These included black cats being seen as unlucky or not photogenic in selfies.’
However, while black cats may traditionally have proven less popular, this is starting to change.
Cats Protection League told Metro.co.uk that on average black and black and white cats were now taking 10 fewer days to be adopted than they were 10 years ago.
The organisation has found homes for over 65,000 black and black and white cats in that time.
They also revealed that as of 2019, black cats took only two more days on average to find a home than cats of other colours.
‘We’re delighted that black cats are no longer seen as the unpopular choice,’ Cats Protection said, ‘and not only do these cats now spend less time in our care, each year they get their own day of celebration.’
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