I have two black cats, Jezzie and Bear Cat. They are as different, one is a boy and one is a girl, as night and day. Yet they are both sweet, affectionate and friendly. I got Jezzie when she was a baby. Went to the ASPCA and specifically asked for a black cat. They had just gotten in this little female that very morning and she was all alone in her  great big cage. She stared up at me with these big, golden eyes as if to say, pick me, please, pick me.  It didn’t take me long to decide to take her home.

Bear Cat is a different story, and a little sad. A few years later I decided to get another cat, and went to a different shelter. They didn’t have a big selection of cats to choose from, and surprisingly enough they were all sleeping and quiet, except for one. You guessed it, Bear Cat. He called out to me when I entered the room and I went to his cage, where his little paw came out between the bars as if to grab my hand. He was very vocal, and much older than the others. I hadn’t been looking for another black cat until the girl working there told me he’d been in that cage for ten months, that no one wanted him. My heart broke and I took him home.

Black cats are just as loving, and sweet as any cat, and they make wonderful pets. It’s sad to think they remain in shelters longer because no one wants them. Even sadder to hear when they are abused during Halloween. You know you’ve heard the stories. I can’t bear to write the atrocities I’ve heard about over the years, and it’s not always black cats, though they seem to be targeted.

I don’t know what makes people so cruel to animals during this time of year, but I hope that if you have a black cat you bring them inside until it’s safe. So remember to take them in, please!

Tory Richards