Battersea Dogs and Cats Home reveal almost half of all cats brought into their rescue centres so far this year have been black.
The charity revealed that unwanted black cats make up 43% of all feline admissions to Battersea, compared to other single-coloured cats, which are far less likely to be brought into a rescue centre, such as ginger.
The animal charity has released the new figures ahead of National Black Cat Day on October 27, which celebrates the often over-looked black cat and dispells any myths about these lovely animals.
In the past rescue charities including Battersea have found it trickier to find new homes for black cats than any other colour and believe several myths are to blame.
Traditionally black cats have been believed to bring bad luck and haven’t been viewed as favourably as their more colourful counterparts.
Rob Young, Head of Catteries at Battersea, said: “We get cats of all shapes, sizes and colours here at Battersea and every single one of them has their own unique personality. Some people believe that black cats all look the same or that they do not look as good in photographs and will therefore overlook them in favour of a Tabby of Tortoiseshell. All cats deserve a second chance and we hope that anyone planning to adopt will consider changing a black cat’s luck and give it a loving home.”
On any given day, Battersea cares for approximately 200 cats across three different sites in London, Kent and Windsor. On average it can take 22 days for each of these cats to find a new home, which can be longer for some cats including black cats.
Current black cats waiting to be adopted by a new family include twelve-year old Tiger-Lily, a petite, affectionate cat who has been residing at Battersea’s Cattery for 48 days, more than twice the average.
Also patiently waiting, is young and adventurous Poppy, an eighteen-month old who is currently being cared for at the Brands Hatch branch and lap-cat Terry who has been at the cattery in Windsor for 52 days now and would very much like to join a new family soon.
If you think that you could offer a loving home to any of the cats waiting for new homes at Battersea’s branch’s, you can visit www.battersea.org.uk.
