Black Magic... Cats!

Countless black cats 'find their way' to the cat shelter each year; a euphemism for finding themselves unceremoniously dumped off and subsequently rejected for adoption due to their colour. Surely associations with witchcraft and ill omens have no weight in the supposedly enlightened 21st century? And yet with alarming regularity, I have to humour visitors' expressions of disdain - and the occasional shudder of revulsion - when faced with one of these poor creatures! Having to contain and thus control my irritation at hearing the same old boring, repetitive nonsense poured out with such self-assurance and belief in originality is tiresome, to say the least. Needless to say, the cat's 'frightening' demeanour is often cited - black as the night - along with the 'fact' that such a beast of darkness will surely bring bad luck. What can you say?

When I made the acquaintances with these two black beauties over four years ago, I had certainly no plan to add to the furry clan at home. Both had been part of a group of cats taken from an animal hoarder who had housed them in poor conditions and left them in a neglected state of health. One suffered from such extreme matted fur that I actually gasped in disbelief when I first laid eyes on him; his companion was hardly better. Little by little, with the months that passed, I began to gain their trust and eventually managed to groom them and give them the attention they deserved. Of course, as black cats they received nothing but fleeting interest from the public and the months gave way to years of life in the shelter... until last summer. Witnessing their health decline, slowly but surely, from the exposure to illness from communal living and the stress that entails, I decided to bring them home, these two perfect panthers!