Why do some people believe that black cats are harder to adopt?

Sharon Jessup Joyce

Have known, loved and semi-trained many cats and dogs. Jan 13

Why do some people believe that black cats are harder to adopt, and has this perception actually increased adoptions due to sympathy?

It’s a widely held belief that black cats are overlooked for adoption.

While there may be truth to that in parts of the world that still see black cats as unlucky—my Italian nephew-in-law says that is still a perception by some people in his country, for example—the truth is that there are more black cats looking for homes because there are more black cats: black colouration is dominant in the domestic feline. Actual reviews of cat-adoption statistics have debunked the idea that black cats are overlooked or rejected because of the colour of their fur.

A friend of mine in cat rescue says there is an actual challenge for black cats in attracting potential adopters, though. A lot of cat rescue groups now use online photos to promote animals available to adopt, and it can be hard to get a good photo of a black cat (lighting is everything for them), so their features may be less visible in photos, compared to lighter-haired cats. That may delay adoptions for black cats.

When someone adopts a black cat it may because they believe the cat has less of a chance of being adopted. Or they may be among the people who prefer the mysterious beauty of a black cat.

Or they may just have fallen in love with a particular cat, like we did with our Brynn.