Friday, August 1, 2014

Meet the cats no one wants - just because they are black.

Can YOU give any of them a home? 

  • Around 70 per cent of cats in care are either black or black and white
  • Thought to be because they are too plain compared to other colours
  •  At Battersea, black cats spend on average ten days longer at shelter
By Lorraine Fisher
Violet has vanished again. Take your eyes off her for a second and she’s darted behind a table or started to climb up the sofa. Her brother, Viking, is sleeping peacefully, but Victor, the third little bundle of fluff, is having none of it. He pounces on Viking’s legs, beseeching him to come and play.

This charming scene is being played out at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in London, where these three 12-week-old kittens, with their gorgeous olive eyes, sleek black coats (Violet less so, perhaps — she looks as if she’s plugged herself into an electric socket) and inquisitive natures are waiting to be rehomed.

Playing for time: 12-week old Violet was brought into Battersea Cats' Home last week as part of a little of five
Playing for time: 12-week old Violet was brought into Battersea Cats' Home last week as part of a little of five
Victor was left behind after two of his other siblings, a ginger and a tabby, were adoptedViking is just one of hundreds of black cats waiting to be re-homed
Unwanted: Victor (left) and Viking (right) were part of the same litter. Their owner managed to find new homes for their other siblings, a ginger and a tabby, but they were left behind

Except they’ll wait. And they’ll wait. For despite their tender age, these innocent creatures have already committed what equates to a cardinal sin when it comes to finding a new home: they’ve been born with black fur.

Sadly, people just don’t want black cats — no matter how cute. The RSPCA revealed this week that 70 per cent of more than 1,000 cats in care in Britain are black, or black and white. The problem has got so bad it’s been dubbed ‘Black Cat Syndrome’.

The charity claims that black cats’ diminishing popularity is down to our modern obsession with photographing our lives and putting the snaps on social networking sites — the ‘selfie’ phenomenon.  It seems black cats don’t photograph well, so would-be pet owners are opting for more photogenic colours. While this may be something of an overstatement, our preoccupation with image is certainly behind the worrying trend that is seeing so many black cats abandoned.
Pick me! Marley found himself taken to Blue Cross Lewknor, Oxon, because he was being bullied by other cats in his old home. Now he's a confident and friendly little chap, who loves to explore
Pick me! Marley found himself taken to Blue Cross Lewknor, Oxon, because he was being bullied by other cats in his old home. Now he's a confident and friendly little chap, who loves to explore
Zedd, nine (left), has been at Battersea for a month. He's timid and gentle, but no one has given him and his sister Cara a second glanceMissy (right) and her kittens were taken in by Cats Protection Hereford. The kittens are gone - but not playful Missy
I need love: Zedd, nine (left), has been at Battersea for a month. He's timid and gentle, but no one has given him and his sister Cara a second glance. Missy (right) and her kittens were taken in by Cats Protection Hereford. The kittens are gone - but not playful Missy

Fluffy stuff: Brothers Matty (left) and Rupert (right), now 15 weeks old, have been left behind at the Guilford branch of Cats Protection while their tortoiseshell sister and ginger brother have gone to new homes
Fluffy stuff: Brothers Matty (left) and Rupert (right), now 15 weeks old, have been left behind at the Guilford branch of Cats Protection while their tortoiseshell sister and ginger brother have gone to new homes

‘The problem for black cats is that they’re a bit too plain compared to the many other interesting colours available,’ says Steve Crow, chairman of the governing council of the Cat Fancy, the UK’s premier cat registration body. ‘Black cats are seen as just too dull.’

Consequently, animal shelters get potential adopters refusing even to look at them. Others dump them, complaining they ‘don’t match the furniture’, they’ve ‘just’ discovered they’re not allowed to keep animals in their home or that they’ll ‘frighten the children’.

CALL THESE NUMBERS 

Battersea Dogs Home, London: 0843 509 4444. 
Blue Cross, Lewknor: 0300 777 1500. 
Blue Cross, Cambridge: 0300 777 1470. 
Cats Protection, Hereford: 01432 277 543. Blue Cross, Torbay: 0300 777 1550. 
Cats Protection, Guildford: 01483 422 529. 
Millwood Cat Rescue, Nottinghamshire: 0115 923 5704.
All the RSPCA cats mentioned are at the Central & North East London branch: 0207 272 2264.

But those cats are the lucky ones. Other black cats have been thrown off balconies or shot with air rifles. Earlier this week, nine black kittens were found dumped near a football stadium in Oxfordshire — starving, soaking wet and crawling with fleas. Two have since died.

At Battersea, black cats spend longer at the shelter — 34 days compared to the average 25 — while they wait for a new home. ‘About one in five people who come in say: “I don’t want to see any black cats,” ’ says Lindsey Quinlan, head of the centre’s cattery. ‘It’s frustrating, because it shouldn’t be about what a cat looks like. What really matters is the chemistry it has with the owner.’

Cats Protection, the UK’s biggest cat charity, has even launched National Black Cat Day in an attempt to convince people that sleek black felines can be as cute as other varieties. Staff at Battersea believe Violet, Viking and Victor, who were brought in last week, would already have found their ‘for ever homes’ if they’d been a different colour.
Doubly cuddly: Brothers Nutkins (left) and Ricky (right) were dumped at Blue Cross in Cambridge and are two months old. They are very sociable and would be good for a family with children
Doubly cuddly: Brothers Nutkins (left) and Ricky (right) were dumped at Blue Cross in Cambridge and are two months old. They are very sociable and would be good for a family with children
Quattro, now a lively six months old, was part of an unwanted litter. His owner failed to sell him online, so she's left him in care at BatterseaPoor Ziggey, who is at Blue Cross in Torbay, lost an eye in a car crash five years ago. Potential adopters seem put off by his appearance
No takers: Quattro (left), now a lively six months old, was part of an unwanted litter. His owner failed to sell him online, so she's left him in care at Battersea. Poor Ziggey (right), who is at Blue Cross in Torbay, lost an eye in a car crash five years ago. Potential adopters seem put off by his appearance

Their mother had five kittens: one tabby, one ginger and the three black ones. ‘The owner tried to sell them online: two went, but the black ones didn’t, so she brought them to us,’ says Lindsey.  ‘That’s quite common. Black kittens are the least desirable — you can’t give them away.’ The most sought-after colour at Battersea is grey, followed by tabby or ginger.

While cattery staff keep a ‘look-out list’ of what types of feline adopters are searching for, black cats are rarely requested.‘They tell us a black cat would look too much like their neighbour’s pet,’ says Lindsey. ‘One person said, “I’m worried I’ll trip over it in the night,” and people still bring up the superstition that black cats are unlucky.’

About one in five people who come in say: “I don’t want to see any black cats. It’s frustrating, because it shouldn’t be about what a cat looks like. What really matters is the chemistry it has with the owner.
Lindsey Quinlan, head of Battersea's cattery
 
Of course, black cats didn’t always have an image problem. The Ancient Egyptians adored the species, and sailors traditionally venerated black cats because they were thought to bring good luck to the ship.

No one knows how many black cats there are in Britain or what percentage of the cat population they make up — but they’re certainly over-represented in animal shelters. 

The Blue Cross, which runs four animal hospitals and 12 rehoming centres across the country, has seen a 65 per cent rise in the number of black cats needing new homes in recent years.

In 2007, 540 were brought through their doors, while last year it was 895. Already this year they’ve helped 506. They, too, blame our modern obsession with looks and creating attention-grabbing photographs for social media. ‘Black cats have always been trickier to photograph, and this may have made them less popular with the selfie generation,’ says Mandy Jones, head of rehoming services.

As with Battersea, so Blue Cross’s darker charges spend a lot longer waiting for a home: on average, 40 per cent longer. Esme, 13, has spent even longer than that — a staggering 300 days in a Cumbria shelter. If she were a different colour, it would have been nearer 35 days. Lovely 17-year-old Molly has been languishing at the Lewknor centre in Oxfordshire, for two months, ever since her owner died.
Sarah was an abandoned kitten found wandering around a local garden and sent to Battersea. She's only a year old and would certainly make someone a loving and friendly petPurdy (right) is a serene, nine-year-old cat who just longs to live with a young family. Unlike many cats, she loves being with children. She's been patiently waiting at Battersea for three weeks
Lost soul: Sarah was an abandoned kitten found wandering around a local garden and sent to Battersea. She's only a year old and would certainly make someone a loving and friendly pet. Purdy (right) is a serene, nine-year-old cat who just longs to live with a young family. Unlike many cats, she loves being with children. She's been patiently waiting at Battersea for three weeks

Tinks, three (right), was abandoned at Blue Cross in Lewknor, Oxon, and has been there of seven months. All he wants is a loving home
Part of an unwanted litter taken to Millwood Cat Rescue in Nottinghamshire six weeks ago, this 12-week-old female (left) doesn't have a name yet, but the inquisitive little girl is desperate to be cared for

Of course, she is elderly, too — something which also counts against her.
Some cats don’t just spend months waiting for a new home, but years. Brother and sister Kai and Esme were timid strays when they were brought into the Celia Hammond centre outside Hastings, East Sussex, as six-month-olds. Now, four years on, they’ve blossomed into delightful, playful creatures to be adopted together, but no one wants them because of their dark colour.

The prejudice against black cats is particularly silly, says Hayley Plows, who works for the RSPCA in London, because they often make far more affectionate pets than other colours, so potential homers are missing out. ‘So many times, our black cats have been overlooked purely because of their colour, even when they’ve done everything they can to win over the adopter,’ she says. ‘Black cats, in our experience, are often the ones that have been the worst sufferers of abuse and neglect. Yet some of the nicest cats here have had the hardest start in life.’

The RSPCA’s roll call of abused black cats is as heart-breaking as it is long. 
There’s 15-week-old Molly and Polly, best friends left starving in a cat carrier in a bush in Central London; ten-week-old Dappy and Dora, who were thrown off a third-floor balcony together; and nine-month-old Helga, who was found minus an eye — possibly because of an air gun pellet.

Meanwhile, 14-week-old Natalie was abandoned in a park in a box. ‘She loves her tummy being stroked and under her chin, too,’ says a member of staff. ‘She just loves to be fussed over.’ Sadly, a charming personality isn’t enough to win over potential owners who have decided they definitely don’t want a black cat for aesthetic reasons.

All deserve the chance of a better life — if only someone would give them a chance.


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