Black Cat Day – What, When & How to Celebrate

We all know that black cats are sweet, cute and charming, right? Well you’ll be pleased to know that now they get an entire 24 hours of the spotlight every year on Black Cat Day.

We’ll share with you the origins of Black Cat Day, some regional distinctions, and make sure you read to the end for some fun ideas on how to celebrate it. (We found the best Twitter black cat hashtags for you, too!)

What is Black Cat Day and Why Was It invented?

Quite simply, Black Cat Day is the day to celebrate the black cat. 😀

Black cats are just as friendly, cuddly, loveable and cute as their colorful sisters and brothers. But for many years as a result of silly superstitions, they tend to be the least adopted shelter cats. And sometimes (it’s hard to type this) — they are even the victims of hostility.

You can ask your local animal shelter staff and they will most likely tell you the same story. Namely, that these sleek black beauties are the least likely to be adopted. Through no fault of their own, of course! While their other-colored siblings are whisked away to loving homes, these cuties sit patiently waiting for a kind-hearted person to see past their color.

Generally this is not a problem if the shelter is a no-kill facility, but with so much pet overpopulation, unfortunately many shelters euthanize and that is bad news for the black cat.

Black Cat Day is an effort to raise awareness of black cats’ most winsome qualities and do away with (once and for all) any superstitious beliefs.

US Black Cat Appreciation Day – August 17

It started out as a single person’s social media campaign for awareness (Facebook page link below). And now it’s like, totally a thing! Don’t worry, all you black cat lovers can give Kitty love and chin-scratches every day. But they get to have a whole day of special appreciation and awareness every year.

UK Black Cat Appreciation Day – October 27

The incredible group Cats Protection has done much to ensure that black kitties in the UK are well protected and cared for, and National Black Cat Day was instituted to help further the cause to make sure little black house panthers get the love and care they deserve.

Now All Good Kitties May Share This Infographic:

Seven Ways to Celebrate Black Cat Appreciation Day (full notes & links)

Here’s just a little more information than is in the infographic above, with a couple of links, too!

First and foremost – mark your calendars and don’t forget to set it for annual recurrence!
Navigate over to the Black Cat Appreciation Facebook page and give them a generous “Like!”
Adopt a black cat or kitten and encourage your friends, family and people close to you to do the same.
Show your own shadow cat extra love by treating them to a “spa day” with lots of brushing, play sessions and some delicious wet food. You can also trim their nails an wash their ears if they’ll allow it (it helps if you have treats!).
Schedule your black kitty for a vet visit and make sure they are healthy and up to date with their shots.
Share this special day on social media by sharing snaps of your cat to promote black cat adoption awareness.
Here are some great Twitter and Facebook hashtags you can use:
- #blackcatsrule
- #luckyblackcat
- #adoptablackcat
- #beautifulblackcats
- #iloveblackcats
- #loveblackcats

Did you know? UK Black Cat Day is October 27

In Britain, black cats are traditionally considered good luck and now October 27th is set officially aside to celebrate the charming black cat in the United Kingdom every year. A day set out to bring awareness about black cats to everyone and especially to those who might be looking to adopt a kitten or adult cat.

In celebration of the day, black cat owners and show off their cute black cats, disproving the superstitions and showing that black cats make as lucky and lovely a pet as any other cat. This day is also fortunately close to Halloween, when some people might have a special aversion to black cats. They need extra special protection and awareness around that time.