This afternoon I read on Deb's (Just Cats) blog that it is Black Cat Appreciation Day...who knew?! So, I was inspired to do a post on some of the black cats I have known and loved...
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I'll begin with my first kitty, Pat-Pat...I loved her so much! She lived at my Grandma Collier's house ~ (our farm was ruled by English Setters, and was on a busy highway...not kitty-friendly at a time when kitties were outside-only)...
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This is my oldest daughter Mandy's Angel-Kitty, Fleece. He was one cool kitty!
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Here's Mandy's kitty Basil ~ aka "Bazoo" ~ when he was a kitten...just look at his little lips (his "wittle wips", we say) ~ ;^)
He's grown into his ears now...(and he still has those cute lips)!
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Here are Basil (left) and my Angel Kitty, Greta.
We fostered the Mama cat and her litter from the local Humane Society...actually, Bazoo was found by some kind soul ~ in a field, of all places ~ and given to the Mama to take care of ~ she accepted him as one of her own.
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Mandy took Basil and I took Greta, as we knew that black kitties didn't have a very good chance of being adopted...at first I said I didn't need any more cats, but I gave in...the girls teased me and called her my "Pity Kitty", but she was such a dear (not a pity-kitty at all...;^)
~ she loved sleeping in odd places; here she is in a brown paper bag ~
She also LOVED her feather-toy...a particularly pitiful-looking one, missing most of its feathers...she would bring it to me ~ wanting to play ~ constantly. She liked to carry it around, but she would occasionally misplace it, then would find it again (hmmm, kind of like me...), and you could tell she was so happy when she did! She was so sweet.
Greta's Mama was a Siamese mix, and Greta had beautiful glossy black fur, and very Siamese features.
Beautiful girl!
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Here is another of my Angel Kitties, Muppet.
She was dumped as a baby... downtown, in the alley behind my husband's shop...I don't know how long she had been out in the elements, but her beautiful black fur was sun-bleached to a light brown; we'd never seen anything like it. She was extremely friendly, and walked right in, as if to say, "Hello, I'll be your cat, now!"...
She started out being "Olivia", but that didn't last long...she was such a clown, and had this LONG fur in her ears...she just looked like she could have been one of Jim Henson's Muppets...
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Like all the kitties, Muppet loved to help me with art projects...
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Black cat, cross my path
Good fortune bring to home
and hearth
When I am away from
home
Bring me luck wherever I roam
- Old English Charm
Top 10 Reasons
To Adopt A Black Cat...
10.
You'll save $$ on their Halloween costumes.
9. You can
always find them in the snow.
8. Holding a
black cat is very slimming.
7. Black cats
will match any decor.
6. A lint
brush isn't required for a black-tie affair.
5. When you
love a black cat, Luck is on your
side.
4. Black cats
are like onyx, a beautiful gem.
3. Hey, they
don't care what color you are!
2. Love knows
no color.
And the
number one reason to adopt a black cat...
1. They are
the least likely to be adopted.
The Lucky Black Cat
Throughout
history, and in many cultures, black cats were seen as lucky, sacred and
protective beings. For example:
* Freya,
the Norse Goddess of Love and Fertility, drives a chariot pulled by two black
cats.
* To dream of a black cat is thought by many people to be a lucky
omen.
* Many theater folk love
cats, perhaps because they, too, were once ostracized and shunned. It is believed
that a black cat in the audience on opening night portends a successful play.
* In the south of France, black cats are
referred to as "matagots" or "magician cats." According to
local superstition, they bring good luck to owners who feed them well and treat
them with the respect they deserve.
*
Fishermen's wives kept black cats while
their husbands went away to sea believing that the black cats would protect their husbands from danger. These black cats were treated like
royalty and were considered so valuable that they were often stolen. At one
point, they became so expensive that few fisher-folk could afford
them.
Whenever the cat of the
house is black,
The lasses of lovers
will have no lack.
~ English Proverb
* In Australia, Britain and other parts of the world
where black is a protective color, black cats are thought to be lucky. It was
believed that their color gave them the power to ward off negative forces.
* In Ancient
Egypt, cats were sacred and protected by the Goddesses Sekmet and Bast. A home that kept
a cat was blessed. Egyptians believed that cats captured the glow of the setting
sun in their eyes and kept it safe until morning. Killing or harming a cat was a
horrible crime in their culture, and was punished by death.
* Many cultures believe that cats with gold or green
eyes bring prosperity. Because of their eye and coat colors, black cats are
thought to have the ability to attract abundance and the power to protect
it.
*Many cultures consider cats to
be mystical creatures which are really fairies in disguise.
* Some
say that the ancient Celts believed that black cats were
reincarnated beings who could foretell
the future.
* Cats have always been associated with motherhood,
protection, love and fertility, and it many cultures, black is the color of
protection.
* Advocates of Feng
Shui
remind us that cats are drawn to harmony. Therefore a happy cat is the sign of a
happy, harmonious
home. A figurine of a black cat is often placed in the home, facing north, to
ward off evil.
* In some cultures,
brides were given black cats as good luck on their wedding day.
* In
Finland, black cats were thought to gently carry the souls of the dead to the
other world.
* In Scotland it was believed that if a black cat crosses
your path it will mean good things to
come. A black cat on your porch will bring prosperity.
The
smallest feline is a masterpiece.
- Leonardo da Vinci
* For those who loved The Da Vinci Code, Leonardo da
Vinci
loved cats, and included
many in his sketches, including one in the British
Museum which show a Madonna with child and
cat.* King
Charles I of England owned a black cat, whom he valued very much. He treasured
the cat so much that he had his guards watch over it 24 hours a day. As luck
would have it, the day after the cat died from an illness, the king was
arrested.
Adopt a Black Cat!
(And have a great weekend!)
♥
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