Black Cats?

[kitten645]

I have a thing for blackies after adopting my two 15 years ago. Hobbes has passed but Calvin is still with me. I'd always adopt black boys given another opportunity. They have the most personality of any of the 15 or so cats I've owned in my lifetime. Calvin is a little affectionate monkey that is my heart kitty for sure. He's a velcro cat and makes me laugh each and every day with his antics. The shelters I've worded at did not adopt out black cats in Oct. They tend to be adopted as seasonal ornaments or worse. I also know how difficult they are to photograph so sites like Petfinder have a hard time. I know when Calvin closes his eyes, the can virtually disappear. I think that happens in shelters also and they get over looked. Best of luck in finding your furbaby.

[CrazyCat]

I had also read cats with longer fur cause less allergies in some people, but my boyfriend has stated even with this fact he wants a short haired cat. Which is fine with me as most of the kitties on the adoption website are short-haired.

I had not heard of darker cats causing more allergies either, until yesterday. I don't remember the website, but it said that other than the Fel d 1 there are other sources of allergies and one was some substance found in grey and black fur. But as I research more and more, people say it makes no difference.

Kitten645 - Interesting about the shelters not adopting out the cats in October. About 7 or 8 years ago, when I still lived at home, we got our cat on a Friday the 13th special, where all black cats were $25. The one we got was a Tuxedo cat, but she still counted. So it'll be interesting if they have any out for adoption in October. We must get the cat in October though. I will go crazy if I have to wait another month.

What we may do is visit the shelter a couple of times with a particular cat in mind, and I'll get my boyfriend to nuzzle and hug and kiss the kitty, and we'll see how bad his reaction is.

I don't understand why black animals are not appealing to people. Their coats are so shiney and gorgeous!

[Taz_Zoee]

I volunteer at a shelter and I have not noticed the black dogs and cats being overlooked. We have had a couple litters of blackies this summer and I think only one is left.

Taking the boyfriend to meet the kitty and see how he reacts is a good idea. I lived with a girl that was not allergic to my kitty I had at the time, but she was allergic to her sisters cats. Taz (my kitty) used to sleep on her bed right above her head and she was fine. My boyfriends brother is allergic but wasn't as reactive to Taz either. So I always called Taz my hypo-allergenic kitty.

I hope we will be seeing pictures of a cute black kitty in a month or so.

[moosmom]

In my rescue experience, MOST shelters won't adopt black cats out the month of October due to certain undesireables using them for satanic rituals on Halloween. Not sure about cats in your area.

Karen's right. Black cats don't produce more allergens than any other cat. It's actually the cat's saliva that dries and becomes airborne that most people are allergic to.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

In my rescue experience, MOST shelters won't adopt black cats out the month of October due to certain undesireables using them for satanic rituals on Halloween. Not sure about cats in your area.

That is certainly true around here. In fact, when I was younger, everyone was advised to keep all their cats but specially the black ones, inside around Halloween. There was a cult in the area that was takeing them and torturing them and killing them. What IS the matter with some people??? sheesh!!!!!!!

[Catty1]

Ask at a good pet store about wet wipes for cats. These are designed to keep the dander down that cats give off, which is what causes allergies in people.

A friend of mine had her grown daughter living with her for a while, and the daughter had two cats. My friend is very allergic - they tried the wipes and the result was fantastic!

ETA: My cousin has always loved cats, but her allergy sent her to the hospital when she was a little girl. When she got married later on, her husband had one cat. She decided to stick it out and over time - several years - her allergies diminished!