National black cat day 2022: Why do they take longer to find a forever home?

Black cats take double the amount of time to find their forever home than grey or tabby cats, according to new figures.

Today (27 October) is National Black Cat Day 2022 and the RSPCA in Kent has released the new statistics about these felines, just days before Halloween - a busy time for black cats who are thought by many to be "superstitious and spooky."

The charity re-homed 2,260 black cats during between 2019 and 2021.

On average it took 30 days for a black cat to find their forever home - compared to just 16 days for a grey tabby cat.

Black and white cats are the felines who are more likely to come into the charity’s care and they took an average of 28 days to find their forever homes, compared to a calico cat which took just 17 days.

The charity says higher numbers of black or black and white cats ending up in rescue centres and a longer length of stay could be in part due to myths around black cats, especially at this time of year.

In UK folklore, black cats traditionally symbolise good luck - but around Halloween many associate black cats with superstitions or witches.

Others say that black cats aren’t "Instagrammable" and don’t look good in pictures.

Sam Watson, RSPCA cat welfare expert said: “It is a sad fact that black cats really don’t have much luck because we see more of them coming through our doors than any other colour of cat, other than black and white cats, possibly because they are more common. 

“A few studies show that some people believe black cats are less affectionate, but they really are no different to any other cat.

"Researchers have also found that some superstitious people find them less appealing.

"Other cats, such as tabbies, have distinctive markings making them look more attractive to some. We think black cats are just beautiful - but would urge people to look beyond their perceptions of what an animal looks like. Their fur colour makes no difference to how much affection they have to give.

“Black cats won’t bring you good luck or bad luck but they do need forever homes. If you can bring some magic into their lives they are sure to bring some joy into yours.

"We would love to see those who are looking to adopt a cat this Adoptober to please consider adopting a black cat.”

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