A BLACK CAT is Just a CAT

I took this picture of Lilith, a black cat found as a kitten in a supermarket parking lot
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When my old cat died, I decided to pick one out of the Humane Society.  They had named the first cat I saw “Batman”, and I fell in love with him on sight.

But when I brought him home, I discovered he didn’t quite have the courage of the comic book hero. I made some mistakes which resulted in a month-long struggle to coax him out of his hiding place to join the family.

I renamed him Bear, and he is a wonderful cat, but my guests seem a little uncomfortable when he comes into the room.  After all, he is completely black.

He is a black cat and some people are afraid of Black Cats…

The Black Cat in History

Historically, black cats have been associated with omens, bad luck and, well...evil.

The poor unfortunate kitties have been used in rituals and were supposedly the "familiars" of witches. Anarchism has used the symbol of the black cat, as has Wicca, the modern day expression of Witchcraft.  Superstition has associated bad luck with having a black cat cross your path.

All-in-all, the black cat has been getting some really bad press for centuries, and all of that is not easily overcome in just a few short lines of this article.

Scaredy Cat

A very highly sensitive cat, our new black Bear was far more scared of us than we were of him, and we made a number of mistakes in the first hour of his introduction that practically destroyed our chances for introducing him to our home.

The process of first finding Bear where he had hidden in the house and gradually coaxing him out of his hiding place to join the family was long and agonizing. It took over a month, and I had almost despaired that we would ever acclimate him.

Patience won out, though…

Superstition Dispelled

Since then, Bear has been rolling around on my lap enjoying his daily pettings, sleeping in my bed, yowling at the females he sees from his perch in the kitchen window and just generally bringing a lot of joy to our lives.

He is here to dispel the notion that a black cat means bad luck.  He is one of the sweetest cats you'll ever meet, and there's absolutely *nothing* scary about him. And I can tell you for a fact that no bad luck is connected with Bear.  He's crossed my path innumerable times, and so far I haven't experienced anything one might think of as "bad luck".

I have to say, though, that on Halloween night he seems to be scared of his own black shadow. But I try to keep him calmed down and happy to be where he is...in my lap purring as loud as he can!

Copyright 2006 John Young

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The BOMBAY CAT

A shorthair felid, Bombay was created in nineteen fifties in United States through crossing of American Shorthairs with Burmese cats. The idea was to creature a small Indian 'black panther'. After a number of attempts, finally an all black cat was developed that would consistently produce black colored kittens with 'copper penny' eyes. It was named 'Bombay' after the famous Indian coastal town of the same name. It took a further two decades for the cat to be formally recognized. The modern Bombay shares majority of its attributes with the Burmese since American Shorthairs are no longer used in the periodic outcrossing of the breed.

Bombay Cat - Photo by sebadore 

A lithe yet muscular cat, Bombay is surprisingly heavy for its appearance. It has a medium slender physique with a shiny coat. Head is well rounded with gold to copper colored circular eyes and slightly tilted ears. Both the eyes and ears are big and widely set. Muzzle is short with a minimal nose break. Legs are long with round paws. Tail is medium in length. The highlighting feature of the Bombay is its stunning lustrous coat. It is short and close lying and yet has an unparalleled shine. It is black throughout, including at its roots. Sable colored kittens are often born in litters, though they are not formally recognized by cat fancies.

Some Bombays share a hereditary skull disorder with the Burmese in their lines. The result is an abnormal craniofacial presentation in kittens who are unable to survive and thus have to be euthanized at birth. This is an issue of some controversy around breeders today of the traditional Bombay and Burmese cats.

Affectionate and calm, Bombays are famous for being total lap cats. They follow their humans around everywhere and try to supervise all their activities. They are outgoing and active cats and keep themselves and their companions busy. Temperamentally they are quite good. Bombays readily accept other pets, particularly dogs, into their household. They are cool with children and are social cats in general.

By Omer Ashraf The author is a blogger about cats and an expert on Bombay cat. Article Source: EzineArticles

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