Today is Black Cat Appreciation Day

Black Cat Appreciation Day: Israelis not adopting darker felines - SPCA

Israel has an abundance of cats, with as many as two million living on the street, but at the animal shelter, many Israelis simply pass over black cats altogether, according to the Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty (SPCA) in Israel.

Black cats have historically been given a bad reputation and are seen as omens of bad luck. The color black itself in other animals has also been associated with darkness and witchcraft.

This, according to the SPCA Israel, may be why so many people don't adopt black cats, both in Israel and abroad.

It appears people prefer adopting pets with lighter-colored fur, with both black cats and black dogs being neglected. Overall, regardless of age, personality and any other factors, black cats on average always seem to lose out to their lighter-haired cousins, according to the SPCA.

"Every day I find people who just skip over black cats as if they don't exist," SPCA Israel adoption consultant Victoria Loftman said in a statement. "The chances of white or brown cats being adopted are much higher than black cats, and when I offer darker cats, I am often asked 'do you have one just like this, but white?'"

It is for this reason that there exists a holiday called Black Cat Appreciation Day, celebrated on August 17.

The day "was founded to illuminate the radiance of the amazing black felines and raise awareness that there is nothing wrong with black cats - it's all outdated and stupid superstitions," SPCA Israel spokesperson Gadi Vitner said. "Black cats like gingers, calicos, gray or white cats are all exactly the same, and we should not discriminate against them."

But while a black cat may be seen as an omen of bad luck, science seems to indicate otherwise. This is because as noted by researchers from the National Cancer Institute and the University of Maryland, the mutation causing a black cat to be all black seems to help it resist certain diseases.