I was surprised to read this morning that today, August 17th, is Black Cat Appreciation Day.
Now that sits just fine with me because I have for decades appreciated the affection and friendship of black cats.
I've never been one of those suspicious people leery of letting a dark furred feline cross their path for fear of bad luck.
I've never been fearful about seeing one on Halloween.
I've never been one of those people who believe black cats are omens of bad things about to occur.
In fact I love black cats.
(Actually I love *all* cats but those of the midnight color are my favorites.)
One of the first cats to enter our (Judy's and my) life was a scrawny stray the kids picked up somewhere and named Primo.
I thought that was a great name, meaning number one, and Primo he became.
Primo
It wasn't until years later that "the kids" admitted that they had chosen the name because it was a nickname for some kind of hashish!
As a member of our family Primo had moved with us from Indianapolis to Arizona and made half a dozen moves in the Greater Phoenix area.
Some years later, we acquired a mostly black and always mischievous youngster who became Jazz.
Jazz
Finally, there was a young ruffian who showed up in our backyard some years back with some bleeding sores around his neck apparently inflicted by a neighborhood encounter with another creature.
I named him Blackie Detroit because of his apparently pugnacious nature.
Blackie Detroit
At first we weren't going to allow him into the house but as the Cat Motherer (Judy) washed his wounds and took him to the vet and petted him, he wormed his way into our affection.
As he calmed down, becoming an indoor cat, and grew his name didn't suit him and he became our beloved Blackwell.
After a long run with us, he grew old and ill and weak.
He used to jump up on my desk and share the bird-watching with me.
But on his final day I had to pick him up and lay him gently on the desk so we could spend some final moments together.
Blackwell's Final Day
I've loved all of our black cats and hated to lose them.
They become and became members of our family.
So on this Black Cat Appreciation Day, let's all hail the mighty black cats.
Beautiful story.
ReplyDeleteIt was a joy to know a couple of those "midnight colored" pals.
ReplyDeleteWe too have had a series of black cats. So yea, a round of appreciation for everyone!
I have a black cat too! I love her dearly and look forward to getting her back when Ziggy leaves. She is glossy and sleek, very mysterious looking.
ReplyDeleteYou have had some very cute black kitty cat companions. Sweet that you have photos of them all.
ReplyDeleteI am not a cat lover, but I do respect them, and with those yellow eyes, I'd give them a bit of extra respect.
ReplyDeleteDon't you also get a black cat visitor from time to time?
No, he's a tabby. If he was black we'd keep him!
DeleteMy parents had a black cat who was the queen of their house. Whatever she wanted she got! ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou made me cry.
ReplyDeleteWe have a mostly black tortoiseshell cat who is both sweet and a pain in the ass. We have a love/hate relationship.
We had a black tuxedo cat named Stockings, and he was the most unfriendly of all our 5 cats. Of course he lived the longest! I guess that spite kept him going. He died earlier this year, and I do miss seeing him run away from me on the porch.
ReplyDeleteI have focused on black cats due(one reason)to the fact that people don't adopt them as readily as others, partially because of some of the things you listed and also, believe it or not, because they "are difficult to photograph" which as you have shown is a bunch of bologna. My first black cat was Merlin then Shadow then Ebony (which ended up as Ebenezer Wheezer Beezer, but called Beezer) then Maverick and finally, Rylee and Claire both of which are still with us and share our home with our recently found abandoned kittens, who are now full grown, Jupiter (a ginger) and Maizie (a calico). Rylee is called Buttercup and Claire is called Monkey (for obvious reasons) and Maizie is the Amazing Crazy Maizie and Jupiter should have been named Jumping Jack Flash because he can cover the space of 6 feet in one easy leap. We love them all and are very much cat people and I don't see that changing. Unfortunately I live in a town with a fairly large feral community and despite efforts to catch, neuter, spay and release, there are still babies born in the wild every August through September. We were able to save 2 of them and give them a safe, indoor home.I have enjoyed your experiences with the various cats that you have invited into your home. Ranee (MN)
ReplyDeleteMy favourite of our family cats wasa black one named Misty. She was shy, eccentric, but a gentle soul.
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