Posted on 08/17/2022 7:12:49 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
History of National Black Cat Appreciation Day
Have you ever feared a black cat crossing your path? This is from ancient superstitions where people thought this meant bad luck. For many cultures and historical settings, black cats were actually meant for positive things. So, to try and dispel these myths about black cats, National Black Cat Appreciation Day was created to be celebrated on August 17 every year.
Today, pop culture loves black cats. There’s the sarcastic Thackery Binx in “Hocus Pocus”, Salem, in “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” and Pyewacket in the classic “Bell, Book and Candle,” and we can’t forget the classic cartoon black cat, Luna in “Sailor Moon.” Black cats are seen as loyal companions, and this is what they were seen as for a lot of cultures in history too.
So, who’s to blame for this negative black cat spin? Superstition! But mostly because during the Middle Ages, people (mainly the Catholic Church) saw witches as shape-shifting black cats and the damage was done. From then on, black cats were seen as evil entities for years and years to follow.
But not everyone sees black cats this way. In fact, black cats are actually welcomed by a lot of people. For some, a visit from a black cat means good luck, and for others it meant prosperity or romance. Hey — in some cultures black cats are even worshipped. Basically, there’s no need to fear them. On this day, we celebrate our cuddly friends, no matter what color their coat is!
*SNIP*
National Black Cat Appreciation Day Activities
Visit the Nekobiyaka Cat Café
This Japanese café pays tribute to black cats, letting them roam throughout the restaurant for guests to enjoy. Pay $10 to spend an hour with the kitties and order some soda or beer while you’re there. Guests are not allowed to pick up or hold the cats, but customers can pet them. Each cat wears a different color bandana so you can tell them apart.
Adopt a black cat
As unbelievable as this sounds, black cats are about half as likely to be adopted as other cats! This is silly but true. Show some love to a homeless or abused black cat or kitten by contacting your local animal shelter to find one in need of a good home.
Read Edgar Allen Poe’s, “The Black Cat”
The Saturday Evening Post originally published Poe’s short story back in 1843. It's one of the author's darkest tales — dealing with the psychology of guilt.
Funny, our black cats show up better at night than the all gray one. Gray Kitten just blends.
That’s Pepper!
He can’t stand peace and quiet unless he is the only cat around. Otherwise he has to raise hell with the others.
Another of my black cats (through the years) was named Sidney. We called him, ‘Sid The Squid.’
My Dad called him, ‘Kunta Kitteh’ after ‘Kunta Kinte’ from the, ‘Roots’ TV Mini-series. ;)
‘Darth-Ann’ Very creative!
One of our favorite toys as kids (before everything needed batteries) was a cat doll Grandma made for us out of an old black sock. she had sparkly silver button eyes and a face sewn on with embroidery floss and long whiskers.
Her name was, ‘Meredith’ which is a great cat name! :)
“‘Darth-Ann’ Very creative!”
Well, she was feral and we fed her on the screen porch for a couple years. Black and muscular, so “Darth”.
Then one day I woke up and my husband yelled, “You have to come and see this.” There was Darth sprawled on the sidewalk outside the kitchen window nursing three kittens. (Now known as Mel, Duke, and Maris.) So we added the “Ann”.
“He” did seem to be getting a bit pudgy and we figured we might have been putting out too much kibble.
“Tess and Tilly are adorable. Are they litter-mates?”
Yes, they were sisters and had been Foster Kitties for 4 years before my ex found them. They were hard to place because they needed to stay together, I guess. They were hard to tell apart, but eventually we could. Tilly had a slightly smaller face than Tess.
Their names, when we got them, were Contessa and Matilda, LOL! WAY too fancy for a farm cat!
They’ve been gone a good 10 years, now. Both lived well into their teens and died within a month of one another, which was fitting.
A few years ago my Mom found some young cats that needed a home, so she brought them out to my farm. A gray and two blacks, so we named them, ‘Larry, Daryl and Daryl,’ LOL!
Larry decided that he’d rather live at the neighbor’s horse farm (where he still is) and Little Daryl was walking along the top of a dog kennel and fell in and that was the end of him, and Big Daryl still visits from time to time - he’s, ‘Gone Native.’ ;)
She’s a beauty! What a lovely, shiny coat! :)
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