The stunning black-coated, copper-eyed, Bombay Cat is 100% domestic feline but looks very much like a pint-sized panther. She is prized for her inky black coat that is pigmented all the way down to the root, accounting for the intense color. The Bombay is intelligent, easy going and has a purr that truly sounds like she’s “getting her motor running,” however, she is not the only black cat in town! Any domestic cat, of any breed, that has black fur can be considered a black cat. Black fur pigmentation is a little more common in male cats than in females, but either gender can be blessed with a glistening black coat. The high melanin results in many black cats having some shade of golden eyes, and the Cat Fanciers Association recognizes 22 cat breeds who standardly come in solid black coats.
If you share your life with a Bombay Cat, you are lucky indeed, as the breed is not only gorgeous, but also a lot of fun (many can be taught to fetch), yet also quite rare! So celebrate her with love and affection on NATIONAL BLACK CAT DAY, as well as the other 364 days of the year! Few Bombays exist in the United States and around the world meaning good fortune must follow you if you have a Bombay in your midst. Speaking of luck, owning a cat of any color makes you lucky and blesses your life, but legend or myth, let’s embrace the good fortune many feel black cats bring. The Ancient Egyptians may have had it right so many centuries ago. They worshipped black cats, and all felines, and believed them to be sacred, not evil, so let’s put aside any negativity associated with black cats and Halloween, and acknowledge their charms…
- Feng Shui principles give black cats strong powers of good, so if you don’t have the real thing, place a black cat statuette in your home facing north, to drive bad luck away.
- If you live in Scotland, and a black cat appears on your doorstep, money could be on its way as black cats, the Scots believe, draw prosperity and fortune.
- In the U.K., gifting a bride with a black cat on her wedding day will bring good luck to the marriage. Personally though, I don’t suggest giving pets as gifts. Animals are family members who should be adopted, yet the message, that having a black cat in your home brings joy, is a good one.
- The French call black cats, “matagots,” and say that treating one well (i.e. providing the cat with a bed, feeding him the first bite of dinner, providing a home even after his owner dies) brings “bon chance” (“Good Luck!”). Some also say that if a black cat is set free where 5 roads meet, the feline will lead you to treasure.
- Many a sailor believes that caring for a black cat can ensure safe passage and fair weather at sea. Considered so lucky at assuring sailors would return home safely, black cats once became totally cost prohibitive to seafarers.
- If you hear a black cat sneeze in Italy, you’re headed for a lucky streak some say, and…
- The people of Japan say, “Konnichiwa” (“Good Day”) when a black cat crosses in front of them and by doing so, capture some luck. Black furred cats are also believed to help Japanese ladies find a proper suitor.
With all the PURRfect goodness that can come into your life, real or imagined, by sharing our space with a black cat, why wouldn’t you? Please dispel black cat syndrome at every turn. Share with others that black cats are friendly and deserve loving homes as much as any other cat. Just because the ‘bad guy’ in the movies sometimes wears a black hat, don’t judge a kitty cat by her fur color, unless your judgment notes that although her black coat is truly stunning, the personality inside is even more alluring. Make National Black Cat Day a thing all year long!
