The adoption rate for black cats is abysmal. They have everything working against them. They’re less memorable than other cats, without the stripes or calico patches, they just blend in with one another in someone’s mind. They’re hard to see, in those little, dark, cages, so they’re not as noticable. Almost every time someone’s going to pick the ‘colorful’ cat. If I ever visited a shelter to adopt, I’d definitely pick a black cat. Probably multiples. I’d want to take them all home. 
So far all of my cats have picked me and now that everyone else has told stories, I’ll tell mine!
So Nami was first, actually her name is Namárië, but everyone just calls her Nami. She was brought into the animal clinic I worked at by her owners when she was 3 months old (and named Missy at the time). They had taken her over to a friend’s house with a huge dog and thought it would be fun to let them play together. The dog had picked her up and tossed her across the room, shattering her front leg. When they were told that, they said to just put her down, they’d get another cat. So I took her, had the amputation done, and took her home. That was in 2002, she’s 13 now.
A year later, Andy (and again, just a nick name, her real one is Anduin) was brought into the same clinic by a police officer who had spied her by the side of the road in the freezing rain. She was about 3 weeks old and she had hypothermia and actually died for 2 minutes before we managed to get her back. The side effect of that seems to be her short term memory is pretty awful, but it could have been much worse. Took her home for the night to keep an eye on her and just ended up keeping her. Bottle fed her every 2 hours for the first month, then spent the next year with a very sickly kitty. But obviously it all worked out!
Then it was a lot of years before Zeke. His tale begins on Christmas morning. I’ve been told I have Snow White Syndrome, I acutally feed all the wildlife in my yard. So like every other day, I headed out in the morning to put out stuff for the squirrels, bunnies, birds, etc. Much to my surprise, out the back door was a little black cat, who promptly jumped into my arms and held on tight. It’s the way he still insists on being carried around actually. At the time I’d thought he was under a year old, because he was so skinny, but he was just really malnuroushed. We estimated he was 3 or 4. He’s got one cauliflowered ear, either from an ear infection or animal bite. I’m pretty sure whoever his previous owners were abused him, it took him a long time to be okay with being petted and played with. He still doesn’t like anyone but me, but I guess he picked me the moment I walked out my back door.
I love all my cats, but someone told me something once; They said if you’re lucky you’ll find one animal in your lifetime that’s basically your ‘other half’, one that always understands what you’re thinking and vice versa. And for me that’s Zeke. He’s overly clingy, but I’m clingy right back. If he wants me to hug him for hours, I’m more than okay with that. He drools buckets, but I’m okay with that too. He’s not like Nami or Andy, he doesn’t care where we go, as long as he’s with me, he’s happy. Even if that’s to the Vet. But I literally have no idea what I’d do without him. I had a dream once I had to put him to sleep, and in the dream I just sat at the Vet, realizing I had no reason to get up and go home.
Anyway! My cats all love catnip, but in different ways. Zeke goes bonkers for it, gets it all over himself and then all over everything else. Andy and Nami just like to eat it and take a nap afterwards. Zeke makes a face and spits it out if he gets any in his mouth.
I could probably fill a book just talking about my cats, you guys have opened a can of worms!
This is definitely the cat appreciation thread now, with an emphasis on black cats. I love orange tabbies, they always seem to be little trouble makers. Garfield is such a cutie, I just want to squeeze him and moosh my face into him.
I’m so glad you have cats, Westane! I kept thinking you’d get all of these alerts in your inbox about replies to your thread about importing games with a bunch of cat pic spam and be all ‘what is this?!’ Nibblet is gorgeous tortie, I love the orange splotches on torties. I especially love finding those little spots of white they’ll have hidden around. And two black cats!
So sorry about Ollie, Torgo, and Althena, Westane. I haven’t had to lose any of my kitties yet, but I never want to. =(
This is quickly going to become a cat appreciation thread. My cats too have definitely saved my life, they’re always there for me, whether things are good or bad. Since you put up a pic, I feel invited to show off my babies as well…
