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11 months ago
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Black rescue cats can take up to three times longer to rehome, according to the RSPCA, as many people believe they are unlucky.
On average, it takes black cats 29 days to find a home, in comparison to grey tabby cats, which are rehomed in just nine days, the animal charity says.
Black cats, and black and white cats, are the most likely type to end up being cared for by the RSPCA, with more than 5,000 of them entering its centres nationally since 2020, new figures show.
Many people are still superstitious about these cats, associating them with witchcraft or believing a black cat crossing your path will bring misfortune.
They are also not as 'selfie-friendly' as other cats, with black cats judged less aesthetically pleasing for Instagram posts because their features may not show up as well in photographs.
Black rescue cats can take up to three times longer to rehome, according to the RSPCA, as many people believe they are unlucky
Some 82 per cent of national RSPCA centres have heard people looking to adopt a pet sharing the myth that black cats are unlucky.
Dominika Jagoda, scientific and policy officer for the companion animals department at the RSPCA, said: 'In truth, black cats won't bring you bad luck - but they do need forever homes.
'The colour of an animal's fur makes no difference to how much love they have to give.
'If you can bring some magic into their lives, they are sure to bring some love into yours - so they even make your lucky day.'
The struggle to rehome black cats, revealed today for National Black Cat Day, and just in time for Halloween, follows research showing black cats are likely to be portrayed as villains in films and television shows.
Analysis of 50 popular cats in film with a large amount of screen time, and 50 cats with important roles in TV shows, by digital marketing agency Evoluted, showed almost half of 'baddie' screen cats were black or grey.
Examples include Salem - the warlock turned into a black cat who appeared in popular TV show Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Meanwhile the murderous moggie Lucifer in Disney classic Cinderella is black and white.
Black cats, and black and white cats, are the most likely type to end up being cared for by the RSPCA, with more than 5,000 of them entering its centres nationally since 2020, new figures show
The RSPCA's month-long rehoming campaign, Adoptober, has highlighted a collapse in rehoming rates, which have fallen by almost a third compared to three years ago, when 39,178 rescue animals were rehomed.
In 2022, only 27,535 animals were rehomed by the RSPCA, and the charity warns many of its centres are 'full to bursting'.
Dominika Jagoda, scientific and policy officer for the companion animals department at the RSPCA, said: 'Many people sadly don't want to rehome black cats because they don't think that they look good in pictures and selfies, or are not 'instagrammable' enough.
'As all loving owners know, having a pet is about so much more than the lovely pictures we take of them.'
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR CAT? THE 13 SECRET SIGNALS FELINES GIVE THEIR OWNERS
Cats are often branded aloof and solitary creatures who spend their days plotting their human owner's demise, but such characterisations could not be further from the truth.
In fact, our feline friends constantly communicate their feelings of affection to us, whether it be through their whiskers, tail, face or body language.
In her eye-opening new book Kitty Language: An Illustrated Guide to Understanding Your Cat, author Lili Chin - with the help of animal behaviourists - explains how to interpret your pet's movements.
Below are some of the most common behaviours and what they could signal.
Our feline friends constantly communicate their feelings of affection to us, whether it be through their whiskers, tail, face or body language
