Ode to the Ocelot

by | Wednesday | October 28, 2009 | 42 comments

I have a black cat. Most of you met him a couple of weeks ago. His name is Apollo.

We also call him Squeaks, Smelly, and “STOP MEOWING AND GO TO BED I ALREADY FED YOU!”

When we adopted him, I had the brief uneasy rumbling that being mildly superstitious might bring when one adopts a black cat. It didn’t last long, though. Honestly, black cats seem kind of lucky to me- as my neighbor so ominously noted when we first moved in, “the black ones last longer.” (If you don’t know what I am referring to, the story is here.)

I don’t even think about black cats in superstitious terms anymore, except around this time of year when everyone starts talking about black cats and how Satanists are on the prowl to steal them for their gruesome rituals. I’ve asked lots and lots of emergency vets if any of them have seen these cats come in with mysterious pentagrams carved on their foreheads or unexplained blood loss, and they always say no, all they see on Halloween are a bunch of labs who stole all the Halloween chocolate.

Many shelters do not adopt black cats in October, but the problem is less Anton Le Vay, more Anton the PR guy who thinks having a black cat would be a fun prop for the company Halloween party. These poor kitties are adopted out en masse only to find themselves re-abandoned once their novelty as decor has worn off.

I found a really fun list of black cat lore on About.com. Apparently in the UK, black cats are lucky. Maybe Apollo is an ex-pat? He’s been great to us; we love him to pieces and my life since adopting him has been anything but unlucky. When he’s kneading on me at 3 am begging for food, I may think he is evil incarnate, but when I look into his green eyes all I see is a certain wicked twinkle- much like my own. Poor maligned, misunderstood black cats.

I love having a black cat. Although there are always wide varieties of temperaments in all of cat-dom, I would say the black cats in general do tend to have pretty good dispositions overall, say, compared to your average man-eating calico. To be honest if you told me calicos were witches in disguise I would have a lot less trouble believing it. I wonder if this whole black cat = witch rumor was in fact a subterfuge initiated by a calico from Salem at some point in the 1700s. Someone should investigate this.

Anyone else lucky enough to have one of these onyx omens prowling their house? Aren’t they the best?

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  • http://www.3beards.net Lisa

    I had a black boy, Blackfoot, who was left behind in the Oklahoma town I lived in by the wheat harvesters who had found him as a kitten at one of their stops. He was the best cat. He was the only cat who didn’t mind the dogs harassing him. He rode with me from southern Oklahoma to southern Michigan in December, through a snowstorm, in a Mazda Miata. He raced my roommate through the house (roommate thought it was funny). He was only a few years old, but one day he raced up the stairs and then started making these crazy screaming noises. We went up to check on him and he was dead. We didn’t have a necropsy done, but it was probably a blood clot. Blackfoot was the best! I have George now, a snow-shoed, seal point Himalayan who was from a cattery in Missouri. He’s missing a rear foot, had half of his ears chewed off and is missing most of his tail. He’s a simple little kitty, but he is gorgeous.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      Aww, I love Himmies too! They are so cool! Did he get all those traumas in the cattery?

  • Miranda

    I have a black cat w/ yellow eyes named Lucy, and a Snowshoe (1/2 Siamese) named Stella. I’d be much more inclined to believe Stella was evil, lol. She is very much of the Siamese, “you can pet me for 5 minutes and then I will growl at you to let you know that you are done but I can still sit on your lap you just can’t touch me anymore” persuasion. Lucy, the black cat, loves on everyone that comes in the house, and sleeps on the bed with us and two dogs. She is the softest cat I’ve ever petted.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      I know, the Siamese are so…..mischievous!!

  • Rachel

    I love my black cat. Her name is Muffin (not my idea, I wanted to name her Burnt Toast but nobody else thought that was a good idea) and she is amazing. She has the best personality ever, she never bites or hisses (except when she goes to the vet–and I have no idea what she does to the techs when they take her back to weigh her). She has been getting a lot more vocal and needy with age but she is 14. She has never had any serious medical problems–just likes to groom herself a lot and she had a aural hematoma…but that’s it really. She’s been the perfect fit for my family. I think that it is sad that this superstition exists because my cat has been extremely lucky (health-wise) and she brings me so much happiness when i come home from college.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      I think Burnt Toast is an awesome name. Not that you asked. ;)

  • Darci

    I already commented about our baby Ava who we adopted about a month ago after Soldier passed…but two weeks ago when we took Ava to get her Christmas picture taken, my husband fell in love with two new kittens and adopted them right away. So now we have Ava, Beast, and Cleo. The sibling duo we adopted are 3 month old black kittens, although Cleo has a white heart on her chest, and yes, it really is a heart. I had a black cat growing up who was stolen around Halloween, so I have been extra careful with these two!!!

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      You have another 2 kitties? That’s awesome! They sound so adorable!

  • Rose

    I have a black cat named Eesa, and she is the best thing that ever happened to me. She is smart and funny and loving and just everything a pet should be. I have always had good experiences with black cats, and I know they can be a bit more difficult to adopt, so my husband and I have decided we’re going for these lovelies from now on.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      I love that . They need the love so much.

  • http://www.howiseelife.com Kari

    Our boy of our not-so-feral-anymore pair is a black tabby. He’s solid black, but when the light hits him right, you see black tabby stripes on his back, legs, and shoulders. I’ve tried to get pictures of it, but black animals are so darn hard to photograph and he’s generally in motion, so I haven’t succeeded thus far. It’s really pretty though! :-)

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      I think I remember reading that most black cats are super dark brown tabbies. Apollo has the stripes too but I’ve only seen them once or twice, under a full moon…lol.

  • Chile

    I will admit I still do the cross when the one on my street crosses in front of me. I can’t help it.

    From this non-cat person, Apollo is beautiful!

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      LOL. Old habits die hard. We forgive you. ;)

  • Lionesse

    I love black cats! And you probably already know I have THE black cat ;) His name is Mojo, and he loves people. He who shall be worshiped, loves to converse. He will plop himself down amidst a conversation, and contribute! He meows at strangers walking down the street, howls at the mailman… he wants EVERYONE to pet him

    And here is a link to one of my fave pics of him, this is the day we brought Smoochie home. Mojo decided he loved him immediately, and here they are 5 minutes after meeting, sharing a window seat to chatter at birdies…

    http://mmilster.googlepages.com/NewBaby531.JPG/NewBaby531-full;init:.JPG

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      They are SOOO cute together! Like piano keys!

  • Nicole

    I used to have a black tomcat named Lace who was an absolute hellion. He was, however, very sweet. I also at one time had a black cat named Pablo who was an absolute doll.

    I always wonder where the whole Satanists-sacrifice-black-cats-on-Halloween rumour came from. Satanists strictly forbid the injury or killing of animals, actually, except in self-defense or for food (and, I assume, in instances of euthenasia). Even then they dictate that it should be done humanely.

    Devil Worshippers and all-around-crazies might be different, but frankly given how well-monitored black cats are on Halloween and how full of pedestrians the streets are, I’d think it’s the safest time of year to be a black cat outdoors. Just speculating, though.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      Do you remember the whole Night Stalker thing in the 80s? That guy was an absolute lunatic and he claimed to be a satanist too. Seems to be a convenient excuse for “I’m a psychopath.”

  • http://percycat.blogspot.com Alyssa

    I adopted a black cat in March from the MEOW foundation in Calgary (CAN). They told me that black cats are not adopted as quickly, and black+long haired+male is the combination that lasts at the shelter the longest. My Percy (see blog link) is short haired, but I couldn’t care less what his colour is. He’s such a teddy bear, even though he looks like a big panther! :)

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      He is sooo handsome! He really does look like a panther!

      • http://percycat.blogspot.com Alyssa

        I think he’s pretty handsome too ;)

  • Autumnhound

    I had found a black cat recently. He was a beauty, with a tiny white star on his throat and orange eyes. I wanted to keep him so badly….but after his staying for about 3 weeks, I realized I had too many dogs for him to be comfortable and had to take him to the shelter. He was such a nice cat, and I still feel so terribly guilty about taking him there. I can only pray he found a good home before this, so that he can cuddle with a person that needs him and his orange eyes.

    I feel the worst because even though I named him, I can’t remember it now.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      Orange eyes? How unusual! He sounds beautiful.

  • http://annora.wordpress.com/ Tassia

    My mom’s first cat when she married my dad was a black cat named Shadow. She just climbed in their apartment window one night and decided to stay. They found out she belonged to the people across the street a few months later, but they told my mom to keep her since she chose where she wanted to be.

    Shadow was with my mom from the time her first daughter was born, until I (the third daughter) officially started school. She had a few litters, and many of our family members had Shadow’s offspring for years, but the one we kept was a small black and white cat named Grizzy. Shadow and Grizzy were exactly the same in temperament. My sister and I used to dress them up in doll clothes and put them in baby strollers and cuddle them to death, and they took all of this “abuse” with nary a sound.

    Shadow was so fast she used to catch hummingbirds and bring them to my mom, of course my mom, being an avid gardener and lover of all birds, was mortified. Shadow was so proud of herself when she did that. I’m not entirely sure what got her in the end, my mom said she got attacked bt a tom cat and was never the same after that.

    I just remember the sound… I was playing with my playdough in the kitchen, and I heard thump-thump-thump-thump like something rolling down the basement stairs. I went to see, and Shadow was laying at the bottom, so I called for my mom.

    Mom put on Shadow’s favourite song (Memory from Cats, she used to meow with it), and we huddled around her on the sofabed in the basement until she passed. My mom had her cremated, and still has her ashes in a nice grey marble box.

    I dunno what your stance on ghosts is, but for many years afterwards, I could hear Shadow falling down the stairs and howling in the middle of the night. My mom and sister both experienced it, and it scared the crap out of one of my friends who was sleeping over many years later.

    We stopped hearing Shadow once her last child, Grizzy, passed on when I was in grade 9. I think she was waiting for Grizzy to join her. Shadow lived to be 20, and Grizzy was 24.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      24? WOW. Those are some good genes.

      Wow, the ghost story is pretty spooky. How apropos for Halloween!

  • http://www.vetwisdomcafe.com Tammy

    I always get sad hearing about how black cats (and dogs) don’t get adopted as easily as others.

    My Luna girl is a gorgeous panther of a cat. She has found a new home (with kids who LOVE her) and is doing really great. I miss her immensely, but am glad to have found her a great situation! She entertained us and always was sweet (to humans – a bit bad with other cats, hence the new home!) and super funny!

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      Me too. I hope people give that extra consideration when they are at the shelters.

  • http://www.kimchicrafts.com kimchi

    I must admit, black cats (and dogs) are the best pets. I wonder if the color of the coat is associated w/a certain gene that makes their personalities so likable?
    And I definitely agree with you on the calico cat thing– I have had many unpleasant encounters with calicos. They are spitfires! I think that is why they live for so long. :) That is such a great picture of Apollo!

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      The crotchetiest old kitties always seem to be 20 year old calicos. Always. ;)

  • Hope

    When I was in high school I worked at a vet clinic and one of our resident donor cats was a black cat named buckwheat. He is by far one of the coolest cats I’ve known. Every morning I would immediately walk to the back and give him his “good morning pets.” On the weekends when I was by myself looking after the dogs and kitties being boarded, he would ride around on my shoulders as I did my chores. I never felt lonely having him around. If I were able, I would have snatched him to live with me for sure!

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      I love that he rode on your shoulders! These stories are all making me so happy.

  • http://dearprudie.wordpress.com Ashley

    I recently started working at the local humane society and one of the first questions I asked (besides the business-y stuff) was about the ban on adopting black cats out near Halloween. They said that they do adopt out black cats, but are extra vigilant in checking references and calling vets. But it’s more for the “black cats are a novelty” reason as opposed to “Satanic rituals.”

    I’ve never had a full black cat, but I have had a couple black and white cats. The one who is living with me right now is the most vocal, mischievous hellion I have ever met. She is amazing and totally makes me buy into the myth that black and black and white cats are the most intelligent.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      Do they just stop for the month of October?

      • http://dearprudie.wordpress.com Ashley

        They said they are just more vigilant in October, but will still let black cats be adopted if everything checks out okay. In fact, a little black kitten named Wigame was adopted last Wednesday. He was quite the charmer and I was glad to see him go to a good home.

  • http://casacaudill.typepad.com casacaudill

    When I was a little girl we had a Siamese named Misty who, along with her kittens (among them a black one) actually was kidnapped and tortured by some really bad people who lived the next block over. She escaped cut and bloodied with a broken leg, dragging the black kitten home in her mouth. He was the only one we ever saw from her litter and Rover became my bestest friend in the whole wide world when I was a wee thing. When Alan and I moved in together, we got another black cat, Charlie, who followed me around nuzzling my legs and sitting with me wherever I went. Outside of me, his favorite thing in life was to eat. Boy was he a big boy! Unfortunately, he died too young. I don’t know if I could ever have another black cat, having had two that were so immensely good and wonderful.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      Ugh. how awful about Misty and her kittens. What is wrong with people?

  • http://learnedpawspetservices.com Rwan Hardesty

    I am so glad I’m not the only one who thinks that about calico cats! I swear when I was a volunteer at a vet’s office, every calico that came into the place wanted to kill me and the techs. It was spooky!

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      My mother’s calico hates everyone on the planet, including my mom. She was so sweet as a kitten too!

  • Tonya

    I had a black cat for 16 years (Memow). She was such a sweet, good cat. When she passed away of heart problems, I made it about 3 months before I went to the shelter to adopt another. I chose Alley, another black cat. Alley is THE BEST cat! She is the most affectionate cat I’ve ever known. She loves to be held and will let you carry her around like a little baby all day. She sleeps curled up next to me with her little head on my pillow. I can’t understand at all how anyone could have given this cat up at the shelter, but I am so glad someone did because I wouldn’t have met her otherwise. My only regret now is that she was 5 years old when I adopted her. I’ve had her for 5 years, and I hope she’s around for at least 15 more! I wish I would have met her sooner because whatever time I have with her isn’t going to be enough.

    My rescue Lab is black too, and I agree with the post above about the color of the coat making their personalities so likeable. Black pets are AWESOME!

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      5 is young! You’ll have lots of time to enjoy her snuggles! :D

  • http://www.robynkwok.com robyn

    my black kat’s Karl.. he brought me a present the other day…
    a fat cockroach, still alive.

    he seemed so pleased with himself when he put it on my chest.

  • elephant

    You know my Elephant cat. He is very issed off at us right now, because we do keep him inside for the last two weeks of October. He is just way too friendly and tempting.

    Right now he is sniffing the baby. He kinda loves the baby.