Cheshire wildlife centre says its battling superstition to rehome black cats

The RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Cheshire say they're trying to dispel old superstitions about black cats to rehome animals in their care.

The charity says that black, and black and white cats, are far more difficult to find new homes for in part due to their 'spooky' reputation and that they are nearly three times more likely to come into care than tabby felines, and that they take three times longer to find homes than tabby cats.

This means that not only are there more in RSPCA care but they are also staying for longer before they are rehomed.

Alice Potter, RSPCA cat welfare expert, said: “There are overwhelmingly more black and black and white cats in our care than any other coat colour - and they also take much longer to rehome, which sadly means they are staying in rescue centres for much longer periods. Not only is this sad for the cats who are patiently waiting for their second chance at happiness, but it also means that there are limited spaces to help new cats because our centres are full of black cats which sadly no one wants to adopt.

“We don’t know for sure why black cats are more likely to end up in rescue centres and are then overlooked by prospective adopters. It could be because there are more black cats than any other colour in the cat population so cats with different colours and patterns tend to stand out to adopters - but we hope many of them find their loving new forever homes this Adoptober.

“We know some people also consider them unlucky or associate them with superstition, or even think they don’t look good in Instagram photos but in reality, they are just like any other cat who needs a loving home.”

Some of the more persistent myths about black cats highlighted by the charity are that they bring bad luck - or good luck depending on which direction they cross your path, they are associated with witches, either as their ‘familiars’ or the witches themselves in disguise.

In addition in 16th-century Italy, it was believed that death would come if a black cat lay on someone’s sickbed and in Japan, it is often believed a black cat signifies you will be lucky in love.

Among the cats being cared for at Stapeley Grange are brother and sister Fox and Badger who arrived at the wildlife centre’s cattery at the end of August after being found alone near some shops. At eight weeks old, the pair were at the tail end of their key socialisation period, so staff have been working hard to show them that humans can be friends by reading to them and spending time with them.

Also proving difficult to rehome is Mary five-year-old girl female who came to the RSPCA earlier this year from a neglect case. With time and a more predictable routine, she’s now much more settled and ready for a new home.

Alice added: “Black cats can’t bring you bad luck or good luck - and they certainly can’t predict the weather - but they do need forever homes. The colour of an animal’s fur makes no difference to how much love they have to give. We would ask anyone looking to bring a rescue cat into their life to please consider adopting a black cat.”