 There is no cat as misunderstood as the inky furred feline, the black cat. Just like black dogs, black cats can also have a hard time getting adopted. Many shelters refer to this as black cat syndrome. It may seem strange to many of us cat lovers that anyone would discriminate a kitty based solely on fur color. A lot of black cat's troubles have to do with superstitions and ignorant beliefs. This often means that black cats are the last to be adopted from shelters. During black cat awareness month in October, it's especially important that we dispel the myths and encourage people to adopt black cats. Reasons why do black cats have a harder time getting adopted? Some people regard black cats as witches' familiars, while others think they're just plain bad luck. Others even believe that vampires transform themselves into black cats and dogs as a way of traveling unnoticed at night. I just don't get some people. There are even rumors that satanic cults use black cats as sacrifices and rituals. It's hard to know how true that rumor is or if the problem is widespread. However, the fact remains that black cats often get hurt or stolen near Halloween, whether it be from cultists, pranksters, or just cruel people who don't care about the pain they cause. Beliefs about black cats and the dangers they face from people who hold those beliefs can end up discouraging people from adopting them. It's gotten so bad that many shelters wanted to adopt black cats around Halloween. It seems that people want to use black cats for rituals or as living decorations around the holiday. Some people return black cats to shelters immediately after Halloween or, worse, hurt cats during that time. So a good number of shelters refuse to adopt out their black cats from the end of September to the beginning of November in order to keep the cats safe. And there are even a few people who refuse to adopt black cats because they think the felines won't photograph well. They want a cute pet who will look good on an Instagram feed. So unfortunately, black cats and dogs are the often last animals left at the shelter. The background of black cats and witches. Black cats are quintessential Halloween icons, and the number one costume choice for both elementary-aged children and women in their freshman year of college, oddly enough, but do you know how they got such a spooky rap? Beginning in the Middle Ages, black cats became associated with Satan, witches, and witchcraft. Some people went so far as to believe that black cats were cohorts to witches or even witches who had taken on another form. This widespread superstition resulted in the horrific mass killing of black cats, and sometimes even their owners, aside from continuing to represent all things eerie, the fear of black cats still has some influence today. Many animal shelters won't place black cats in homes during the month of October for fear of them being used sacrificially. Faster Adoption Rate In 2012, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, USPA, reported the findings of a study involving 1,500 people who adopted cats and dogs from five shelters throughout the United States. The study found that most adopters chose an adult cat based on the behavior of the individual animal, not on its appearance. As for dogs, most adopters already had an idea about the type of breed they wanted and were visiting the shelter looking for that breed. Another study conducted by Master's degree student Heather Swoboda at Canisius College examined the adoption records of more than 16,800 dogs at two animal shelters in the Pacific Northwest. Her findings indicated that at those two shelters, black dogs actually found homes faster than dogs of other colors. A similar study published by the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science found that coat color had no bearing on the length of time dogs stayed at two shelters in New York. Hello. This video is sponsored by Beemix Pets. Are you looking for high quality cat collars at an affordable cost? Check out, BeemixPets.com. Use coupon code KittenLife, to get 20% off. If you enjoyed this video, kindly press the like button. Also don't forget to subscribe with notifications on, so that you don't miss out on videos like this. Thank you for watching.