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 Kittens adopted at the expense of black cats

“Kitten season,” that time of year when cats begin reproducing at astonishing rates, has begun. If you live in an area populated with unaltered, homeless cats, you already know this.

While baby kittens are irresistible and adopted quickly, every shelter worker in the East Bay offers a big “sigh” when asked about kitten season. The demand on our resources, and the impact on the adoption opportunities for our existing cats are considerable. It nearly always includes sad endings for all the older cats that don’t make it as the shelters fill up.

At the top of the list of cats pushed aside are those eponymously named black cats like “Stormy,” “Blackie,” or “Midnight” and the tuxedo cats called “Mittens,” “Jeeves,” and “Socks.” Black and white are dominant colors in the feline world, so these cats are often over represented in shelters where the offspring of homeless cats end up.

Black cats are sleek and mysterious. Black cats are considered to be friendly and unflappable characters. Cat aficionados even swear that black cats are healthier than other cats because of the heartiness of their genes.

“Tuxedo” cats are affectionate lovers of people and other cats alike. They are always properly dressed for the occasion. The black cat with white mittens loves to show off his moves just like a conductor leading a symphony. The bibbed white cat looks like she is ready for a good meal.

No one really knows if these things are true or not, but nearly everybody carries with them the memory of a special all black or tuxedo cat they have known.

But when you look into the cat rooms of nearly every shelter in the country, you may see cage after cage of black or mostly black and white cats. In fact, they are hard to tell apart from one another to the casual eye.

That is why from April 10th-17th, most of the public and private shelters across the East Bay are hosting special “black and white” promotions to encourage adoptions of black, and black and white cats. You may walk into a shelter this week and find volunteers wearing formal wear, or kennels decorated with black and white streamers, or adoption gifts accompanying black and white cat adoptions. You might even score a bottle of bubbly or sparkling cider.

We figure the audience for the black or black and white cat is the more discerning pet owner. This would be the person who looks beyond a common coat to that unique personality that every cat has. If cat ownership required a license, a fancy-looking cat might be for beginners. This would be the people who haven’t yet begun to think like a cat, but are in awe of flashy fur.

But a cat who makes his distinctiveness evident by his one-of-kind personality, while visually blending in the background with the rest of the crowd due to his color, is the cat for the caretaker with experience.

The black cat provides a challenge because you have to get to know him first. You don’t get a read on him just from sight. Like the plain people of the world, black and black and white cats don’t get an automatic “pass” based on their looks. Their beauty is relative, dependent on the goodness, or mischievousness, of their soul.

It is the cat who can even fit in any décor – who can’t accommodate a black and white accessory in even the most orchestrated living room?

You have a lot of choices this week if you are embarking on your search for the perfect black or black and white cat. Over ten shelters or rescues will be showcasing their black, and black and white cats and will be offering special adoption gifts. You can find them at Alameda City Animal Control, Berkeley Animal Care and Services, Berkeley East Bay Humane Society, Contra Costa CountyAnimal Services, East Bay SPCA (in both Oakland and Tri-Valley), East County Animal Services, Friends of Fairmont Animal Shelter, Hayward Animal Services, Oakland Animal Services, Tri-City Animal Shelter and Tri-Valley Animal Rescue. More information is available at eastbayspca.org/events

You might find yourself ready for the next level of advanced cat caretaking.

Blankets Needed

THE FAIRMONT ANIMAL SHELTER IS IN NEED OF BLANKETS (FLEECE PREFERRED),
TOWELS, AND NEWSPAPER TO KEEP KEEP OUR DOGS AND CATS WARM AND
COMFY. DONATIONS MAY BE DROPPED OFF AT THE FAIRMONT ANIMAL SHELTER
MONDAY-SUNDAY 11:30 AM - 5:30 PM.

For additional information visit the Friends of Fairmont Animal Shelter's web site   Click here >

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If you have any specific concerns or questions on pet care or behavior, we are happy to hear about them and hope that your concerns will help us shape articles that are of interest to you (and your pets!) So, please email your pet questions to us at:
Info@Mycastrovalley.com, and we will try to focus on those areas of concern to you in future articles.

Friends Of The
FAIRMONT ANIMAL SHELTER
Web Site Here