Help black cats improve their luck

Cats Protection is holding its annual National Black Cat Day on Thursday 25 October to encourage more people to adopt unwanted black moggies.

Following the success of last year’s black cat campaign, the charity aims to raise awareness of the plight of black cats which tend to lose out on homes to more colourful varieties.

The UK’s leading feline welfare charity currently has around 1,300 black cats in its care and says that homes are far less easy to find for black cats than other felines.

“People seem to be more taken with torties, tabbies and other colours - perhaps due to a perception that variety adds spice,” said Danielle Draper, Manager at Cats Protection’s National Cat Adoption Centre in Sussex.

“Although it’s lovely to see these cats finding their forever homes, it’s sad to see black cats left waiting in the wings. They make up about 23 per cent of all the cats in Cats Protection’s care and each one waits around a week longer to be rehomed than the average cat.” 

To raise awareness the charity is encouraging people to upload pictures and stories of their own black cats, and to change their social media avatars to a specially designed black cat version.

Supporters will also be encouraged to share photos of themselves transformed into black cats on the Cats Protection’s social media sites. This is a call to get creative by dressing up, using face paints or wearing the downloadable black cat mask – and then get snapping!

One celebrity that will be supporting the campaign by donning a black cat costume is model Lucy Pinder, who recently volunteered at the charity’s North London Adoption Centre and was amazed to hear about how black cats are so often overlooked.

She said: “I was really surprised to hear that black cats take longer to find homes – it’s such a shame. Black cats make just as good pets as the more colourful moggies and often have particularly striking and noble looks so I’d recommend adopting a black cat to anyone thinking of getting a cat.”

Bedford & Biggleswade branch currently have 11 black cats looking for a forever home. To find out more about the black cats in our care please click here

Upload pictures of your black cat(s) on our Facebook page CPBedford

To find out more about the campaign, please log on to www.cats.org.uk/black-cats

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For further information or an interview, please contact Cats Protection’s Media Office on 01825 741 911 or email media.office@cats.org.uk
1. Cats Protection helps over 235,000 unwanted cats each year through a national network of 260 volunteer-run branches and 30 adoption centres. 
2. Cats Protection’s registered charity number is 203644 (England and Wales) and SC037711 (Scotland). The charity’s vision is a world where every cat is treated with kindness and an understanding of its needs.
3. Founded as the Cats Protection League in 1927, the charity adopted the name Cats Protection in 1998. We ask that you use the name Cats Protection when referring to the charity in all published material.