Black cats are still to this day associated with Halloween, witchcraft or bad luck. However, since adopting my own little black kitty, I’ve never known a more cuddly, funny, sweet cat in my life. Black cats are often passed over for more “photogenic” cats and are less likely to get adopted because of their coat color. Here are some things you didn’t know about black cats’ genetics as well as superstition.
1. In Japan, women who own black cats are said to attract more suitors.
2. National Institute of Health researchers discovered that the genetic mutations that cause cats to have black coats may offer them disease resistance- the same mutations affect the genes that offer HIV resistance to humans.
3. British sailors believed black cats brought ships good luck and guarantee a safe trip home.
4. Pirates believed a black cat walking toward you was bad luck, walking away was good luck, and if the cat boarded the ship but then got off, the ship was going to sink.
5. If a black cat has an underlying tabby cat gene, his fur can turn grey or brown in the sun, because the sun’s rays break down the pigment in the fur to reveal tabby stripes.
6. In Scotland, a black cat arriving at your doorstep signals prosperity.
7. A black cat crossing your path signals good luck in England, and a black cat as a wedding gift to a bride promises a lucky marriage.
8. There is no one breed of black cat. The Cat Fanciers’ Association recognizes 22 different breeds that can have solid black coats, including the Norwegian Forest Cat, Japanese Bobtail, and Scottish Fold, but the most popular is the Bombay cat.
9. In Himeji, Japan, there is a cat café named Nekobiyaka that is home to only black cats, each in a different colored bandana to tell them apart.
10. There’s no such thing as a black panther- it’s a term used for any big black cat. Each black panther are also jaguars or leopards, we just can’t see their spots. Their fur produces too much melanin due to a agouti gene mutation.