# Black cats being rejected because they don't look good in selfies (UK article)



## tezster (Jun 4, 2013)

Black cats being rejected because they don't look good in selfies, says RSPCA - UK - News - The Independent

While most of us are aware of the historical superstitions and stigma that remain associated with black cats to this day, I've never really considered that they are discounted by potential adopters because they don't photograph well. I wonder how true this is - it's unlikely that someone would make such a direct remark, but could it be something they're thinking about in the back of their mind?

Of course, in my experience, black cats have loads of personality and are eminently camera-friendly, just like any other cat


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

I sincerely hope that people aren't so disgustingly shallow that they would reject a black cat because they don't stand out as well in a selfie. 

It's true that black cats are harder to photograph and that their features don't appear as distinctive because of their dark fur, which does make them harder to showcase in photos on adoption sites. It's also true that black cats are harder to see when in cages at shelters, which also works against them. It bothers me, but I can acknowledge that these, at least, are subconscious reasons why a person who is maybe open to adopting a cat of any appearance, might pass over a black cat in favor of another coloured kitty. 

The idea that some stupid, self-obsessed twit might actually have a bias against black cats because they're looking for a cat that looks good in a selfie? That just pees me right off! :-x I don't think most people who adopt a pet do so for the sole purpose of accessorizing their Instagram account, but I'm sure some people have; people adopt pets on ridiculous impulses all the time. Anyone who would adopt a pet for that reason shouldn't have one! But, the fact that someone who is legitimately looking for an animal companion would take how their new pet looks in a selfie into consideration when choosing a cat or dog is ridiculous and makes me extremely sad.


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## KsKatt (Jul 6, 2014)

Wouldn't surprise me. 
Considering people who "trade in" older pets for younger ones because the older pet isn't as fun anymore. Pets who get traded in because the owners just redecorated and the pet doesn't "match" the new color scheme, etc.
Sometimes I hate humans. It's just places like this CatForum that keep me sane.


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## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

I can't even relate to that way of thinking.


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## SnowCat (Sep 13, 2012)

People are so ridiculous. I have 3 black kittens, and they're adorable! I love black cats.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Their excuse is invalid:


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

SnowCat said:


> People are so ridiculous. I have 3 black kittens, and they're adorable! I love black cats.
> 
> View attachment 65986
> 
> ...


Ack! So flipping adorable!! :love2

My current foster is the sweetest little black kitty. Her name is Poe, and if we didn't already have 6 cats, we would keep her in a heartbeat! 

Both of these photos were taken with my crappy iPhone camera, so anyone who tells you that you can't take decent, expressive photos of black cats is obviously not trying hard enough! It's more difficult to get decent shots, but it's definitely possible.


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## vonPruescnek (Dec 18, 2012)

Very cute kitties!


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## Dumine (Jun 30, 2014)

I think its safe to say there are plenty of superficial people out there. But there are also plenty of people out there who adore black cats. Their bad reputation has been around for as long as they have and the fact that there are so many of them proves to me that it is the superficial people that are in danger of dying out. Those photos are beautiful! There are few things more striking than a black cat with green eyes.


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## Speechie (Dec 2, 2013)

Pazu is offended by that article!


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## tezster (Jun 4, 2013)

Poe reminds me of Newt, right down to the white splotch below the neck


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

Speechie said:


> Pazu is offended by that article!


Pazu is adorable, and could, I'm sure, be famous on Instagram if he cared about such things. 



tezster said:


> Poe reminds me of Newt, right down to the white splotch below the neck


Newt is such a beautiful shiny kitty, and Poe appreciates the flattering comparison!


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Cleo wants to be shipped to the next person who insults black cats. She's ready for action, that person should be very, very afraid. She may talk them to death.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Cleo is just so beautiful!


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

I love cats of all colours but people are stupid enough that it's probably true. Similar to something mentioned earlier, the shelter that I support has had cats dumped on them for not matching a new three piece suite.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

MowMow said:


> Cleo is just so beautiful!


My little cougar is crushing on your boys! :shock:


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## AutumnRose74 (Oct 10, 2013)

Speechie said:


> Pazu is offended by that article!


Pazu is an example of why *I* find black cats so attractive. Something about that little black face and all you can see is those little ears and wide eyes strikes me as being so appealing. It's a mysterious look. 

I wanted a black cat, but Shelly got to me first.  :heart
But then, I think all kitties are beautiful. :2kitties


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Speechie said:


> Pazu is offended by that article!


Book agrees with Pazu!


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## AutumnRose74 (Oct 10, 2013)

Arianwen said:


> I love cats of all colours *but people are stupid enough that it's probably true*. Similar to something mentioned earlier, the shelter that I support has had cats dumped on them for not matching a new three piece suite.


Isn't that why those yippy little rat dogs like chihuahuas became so popular? Because they can be carried around in one's purse?


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

MowMow said:


> Book agrees with Pazu!


 Omg, this is _such_ a cute photo of Book!! <3 I want to reach through the screen and pet that lovely, shiny fur!


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

dt8thd said:


> Omg, this is _such_ a cute photo of Book!! <3 I want to reach through the screen and pet that lovely, shiny fur!


Haha! That was his face the day I brought that dog into the apartment. That's the second he saw her.


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

marie73 said:


> Cleo wants to be shipped to the next person who insults black cats. She's ready for action, that person should be very, very afraid. She may talk them to death.


I'd sign for that package! Um, you've got to tell her that I love black cats though, so that she doesn't decide to smother me in the night with all that beautiful fluff!


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

MowMow said:


> Haha! That was his face the day I brought that dog into the apartment. That's the second he saw her.


The way he's sitting and peering down at the dog makes me think of a little black owl!  So cute!


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## KsKatt (Jul 6, 2014)

Pepper says, "but I photograph just fine"


Boy says, "Let me at those idiots!"


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## RockyandLily (Aug 2, 2012)

As the "meowmy" (xD) to two black cats, I do not understand this. They take striking pictures; alone, or with me .


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## pwilla (Jul 28, 2014)

Something about black cat adoption:

(I don't know if it's like this on other countries, pay attention!)

In Brazil, when Friday the 13th is coming (about a month or so earlier), most cat/pet shelters I know of won't allow black cat adoptions, because people are looking for them for occult rituals. Not kidding, it's so sad.

I love black cats and would have them, but when I was looking for adoptions, I just had to rescue two other kitties. So for now, no black cats (but delighted with my current cats!).


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## KsKatt (Jul 6, 2014)

I understand that many, if not all, shelters will not adopt out black cats around Halloween.:blackcat


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

They put a hold on black cat adoptions here a couple weeks before Halloween.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Same here, you can't adopt black cats right before halloween.


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## Heather72754 (Nov 1, 2013)

I adopted my little black cat Mystique on October 29th last year lol - but only because I had a co-worker who knew the shelter manager. She acts just like a Halloween cat too - walks around with her back all hunched up high in classic Halloween pose when she wants lovin'.


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## 21inCostaRica (Aug 18, 2013)

Your pictures made me think of that new nanomaterial, Vantablack. It's so black that your brain doesn't know how to interpret the information that reflects off of it, so you see no details of the object.

Great shots and beautiful cats!


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## Heather72754 (Nov 1, 2013)

MowMow said:


> Haha! That was his face the day I brought that dog into the apartment. That's the second he saw her.


Hahaha, he's so clearly saying "The Book sees and does *NOT* approve of this highly revolting development"


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## Speechie (Dec 2, 2013)

marie73 said:


> My little cougar is crushing on your boys! :shock:


LOL, Pazu would groom all of these lovely cats for hours if he could get his paws on them!! 
I love the look of sleek black cats, fluffy black cats, they are alll so gorgeous!! Love seeing everyone's photos!! 
Pazu does have a tiny 'soul patch' of white on one side of his chest, and a few stray hairs on his belly. But the glossy black shines through. He was such a cute kitten. Love to see my black and white cats together! :wiggle


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

Wow! all the nice picts of black cats. I love blacks, especially if it is a tuxedo, but all black is fine with me too. I bet my neighbour who is super superstitious will freak out if ET is all black and I doubt they will ever volunteer to help when we are away.

Sigh...having a pet doesn't make one a genuine pet lover, when they chose to abandon the old for the young, when they choose color to match their decor - what are these people thinking? Sigh...I have to come back down-to-earth, "all kinds of people make up this world", "wearing a robe doesn't make you a monk".


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

that's right, I didn't adopt to match my decor.... In fact now I decorate to match(hide) the cat...hair.


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## Speechie (Dec 2, 2013)

mowmow, how do you decorate for both black and white hair? 
Skye's white hair shows on furniture, Pazu's black hair shows on the carpet, lol


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## Speechie (Dec 2, 2013)

I do love the Neelix avatar...so cuuuute.


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## SnowCat (Sep 13, 2012)

Ollie & Kobe said those are fighting words in that article!


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

I believe black cats are passed over because they're the most common coloring. People notice things that stand out, and they look "plain". Plus, with them being the most common coloring it may just seem like there's a never ending supply of them vs other colors due to their more frequent numbers. Also, some people likely pass them over due to thinking they're bad luck.


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

So many adorable black kitties!  

Nuts to anyone who thinks that black cats aren't just as special and unique as any other cat!


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## Victoria.McG (Jul 28, 2014)

That is ridiculous,all of those great pics here obviously makes that article invalid. There's something magical about black cats, and they way there coloring makes there eyes stand out and more defined, there like little soul readers. How could people possibly find that common and not enchanting?


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

After I adopted Cinderella and changed all my colors (blankets, towels, etc.) to light colors, I met Cleo and fell in love. I didn't even stop to think about her coloring.


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## KsKatt (Jul 6, 2014)

I have everything from white to black, and just about everything in between. Color scheme, what color scheme!:mrgreen:
Cat hair rocks!:thumb


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## tezster (Jun 4, 2013)

Love this 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIcZ6ZNdmgY


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Forget the cat, I'll take *him*!!!!!!!!!!! :grin:


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## 21inCostaRica (Aug 18, 2013)

Because Jackson married somebody else.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

I don't want to talk about it.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Don't worry Marie, he'll come around. Once he realized she's not the one, he'll be on your doorstop.....bottle of Bailey's in on hand and a bouquet in the other!


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## 21inCostaRica (Aug 18, 2013)

Sorry but you only have four cats. Next to me, you don't stand a chance.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

three


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## 21inCostaRica (Aug 18, 2013)

I'm sorry Marie . Silly me.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

It's about quality, not quantity.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Then I'm back in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :grin:


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## 21inCostaRica (Aug 18, 2013)

Mowmow I do what I can for my cats. I spend all my money on them and my dogs, I wish I could give them more but that's the way it is.

And going back to the subject... as of July 28 I too am the guardian of a beautiful black panther.


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## SnowCat (Sep 13, 2012)

tezster said:


> Love this
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIcZ6ZNdmgY



Too cute! The little fuzzy black kitten in it looks just like my Ollie. :love2


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

21inCostaRica said:


> Mowmow I do what I can for my cats. I spend all my money on them and my dogs, I wish I could give them more but that's the way it is.


Caring for them is about quality over quantity too  You give in abundance. That's all that matters to them.

Hehe, that's what I call Book. He's my Patent Leather Pocket Panther.


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## 21inCostaRica (Aug 18, 2013)

I'll have to find a name for him. After going through names of constellations, black holes, Graphene, Vantablack.... I thought of Nikel.
The Black Panther aka Gregory Peck aka Nikel.


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## lflongcatlvr (Jul 26, 2014)

I've had a black cat (I don't choose by color) and she was Ms Personality Plus. People who select animals by such dreadful criteria ought to be ashamed of themselves. But, of course, they're not. :-(


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## KsKatt (Jul 6, 2014)

I can't even remember a time I've gotten to choose a cat, mine just show up!
Oh, unless I'm picking them up out of a ditch.:cool


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## texasgirl (Feb 27, 2013)

SnowCat said:


> People are so ridiculous. I have 3 black kittens, and they're adorable! I love black cats.
> 
> View attachment 65986
> 
> ...


 
Omg, those are adorable kitties!!


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## Bill the Cat Guy (Dec 25, 2013)

Here in NE Wisconsin we don't have a ton of black cats at the shelter. People are aware of the prejudice against black cats so they actually get adopted more quickly. 

I read an article about a cat shelter in California. They said that half of their cats were black. They said that they had orange cats for an average of one day.

We adopted a black cat. He was just the sweetest kitten at the shelter. Now if we adopt it will be older cats.


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