Black Cat Appreciation Day
Today is Black Cat Appreciation Day. We are pleased to have a guest blogger writing about this special day. Ellen Pilch who runs the 15 and Meowing shares her thoughts on black cats and how wonderful they are.
Black Cat Appreciation Day by Ellen Pilch (15 and Meowing)
Today is Black Cat Appreciation Day, which started in 2011. Some may wonder why just celebrate black cats when all cats are wonderful? I agree, all are wonderful, but black cats have been wrongly stereotyped for centuries as being bad luck. This has led to many being abused and killed. It is also one of the reasons they are least likely to be adopted from shelters according to research from the ASPCA. Another reason cited was they appear “dull” compared to other colored cats.
I personally think black cats are beautiful, but will admit to not having as many photos of them on my blog because they are harder to photograph, but I am trying to change that. I know my four are just as loving and playful as any of my other cats. Our beloved Angel Spooky was a social butterfly who loved everyone.
As many of you know, fellow blogger, Layla Morgan Wilde decided to do something to help promote black cats by compiling stories from black cats themselves in a book titled Black Cats Tell All. When writing this, I emailed her to ask what inspired her and she kindly sent me this quote.
” There were actually several inspirations for the book. One about my shelter experience is mentioned in the book but I’d like to mention Punchy, the very old feral who lives in Iowa. I posted a story about him by his mom Ellen the previous year. She captured his feisty and funny spirit. His revised story is in the book. Ellen has been a huge support during and after the project. Punchy is so old I wondered if he’d live to see the book published but he did. Every time I’d hear from Ellen I worry about Punchy’s survival but he’s still kicking! What’s different about this book is the connection with a growing black cat community on social media especially on Instagram @blackcatsofIG Our #blackcatsofIg hashtag is over 100K and #blackcatstellall has been used over 30K times #adoptblackcats 46K. Since launching the book and IG account last year, there is a noticeable increase in black cat accounts, black cat hashtags and adoption advocacy. The cats in book are pretty amazing and it’s gratifying to see so many more being loved. “
In addition to the hashtags above, if you have a black cat and want to help spread the word, post a photo with one of these as well. #NationalBlackCatAppreciation Day, #BlackCatAppreciationDay, #BlackCatDay. And if you are interested in adopting one, check your local shelter as they may be offering a discount on adoption fees for them today.
Black Cats Tell All is on sale at Layla’s shop and you get free shipping and a bookmark too!
Blog Hops
If you’d like to participate in a Blog Hop today, all you need to do is click on the graphic above you’d like to participate in and it will take you directly to the blog. This is another way to be active in the cat blogging community.