Black Oriental Shorthair is your perfect vampire cat companion for Halloween

This is a beautiful jet black, Oriental Shorthair with a slight squint and golden eyes, together with massive bat-like years and fangs, which make him, Toivo, ideal as your vampire bat accomplice for the forthcoming Halloween parties.

Image: A Tuomas Ikonen and MikeB collaboration.

RELATED: Why Siamese Cats Are Cross-eyed. Note the Oriental SH is a member of the Siamese cat family and Siamese cats are predisposed to being cross-eyed.

He is five years old and he lives in Finland and a social media star. I have taken his photograph and removed the background and added some fun background objects to make him look more like a Halloween cat. 

I hope his owner accepts it and perhaps approves of what I've done. Anybody can use it provided the copyright owner agrees. I believe the copyright owner is Tuomas Ikonen. I have sent a message for his approval.

Toumas clearly loves the Oriental Shorthair breed, which has a very particular look: slender, sometimes very slender which is described as "Oriental" by the cat fancy.

He is a very calm cat according to his owner. Despite looking like a badass, vampire cat with massive fangs, he is a sweetie with a great personality and a big voice which sounds like an out of tune falsetto opera singer.

He loves attention and of course he has found fame at this time of year. This brings to mind a more serious side to Halloween and black cats. It is that time of year when sometimes, crazy people, like to abuse black cats because there are hints of witchcraft about them if you believe in that kind of stuff. 

This is a throwback to the Middle Ages; around the 13th century. It's crazy but as I recall, some animal shelters do not let people adopt black cats at this time of year to protect them from these crazy people.

And of course, there is another serious side to this time of year which is fireworks. This is one of my pet hates and you will find that it is a pet hate of many cat owners (and dog owners). We don't know how Toivo deals with the sounds and sights of fireworks but if the general population is anything to go by, he hates it just like I do.

I have a page on advice from the UK's Cats Protection charity about how to look after domestic cat during this torrid time of year which you might like to peruse at your leisure by clicking on this link!

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Do black cats live longer?

The question in the title is asking if black cats are healthier than other cats and therefore live longer. The answer is imprecise. You'll see references on the internet to an NIH (National Institutes of Health) article about the genetic mutation causing the black fur to offer some added protection to the cat in terms of health but I can't find that article after a careful search. There are no studies on this. There is nothing but weak anecdotal evidence that black cats live longer. I don't believe that they do until someone pulls a rabbit out of a hat and tells me that I am wrong!

Black cats audition for a Hollywood movie.
Ralph Crane The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock.

Are black cats: lucky, unlucky, haram, affectionate, rare or hypoallergenic?

Yes, yes, no, yes, no and no!

Black Peterbald cat. Pic is in the public domain.

Black cats have a special place in the cat world as they are the subject of continuing and detrimental superstition going all the way back to the Middle Ages many hundreds of years ago. It is this illogical superstition unsupported by science and good sense but supported by fear of the unknown which leads to the great spectrum of beliefs that black cats bring good or bad luck in equal measure!

Lucky or unlucky?

It depends where you live and your particular beliefs. Take your pick. In general, black cats crossing your path brings bad luck but in some countries, it is good luck! Mad right?

RELATED: 15 facts about black cats bringing good luck.

Haram?

Haram means forbidden and black cats under the rules of the Koran are not haram. In short, if you are a Muslim you can own a black cat. Although some Islam teachers tell their followers that black cats can carry 'jinn' or bad spirits which can disrupt family life. I am afraid that this is more superstition and a variation on the devil lives inside black cats from the Middle Ages. It is rubbish.

I have a full article on this topic: CLICK HERE TO READ IT.

Affectionate?

Yes, black cats are affectionate like all domestic cats provided they are well socialised to people and are treated with kindness and respect.

Rare?

No, black cat are not rare. In fact, they are commonplace among the pantheon of cat coat colours and patterns. FYI - grey cats are black cats carrying the dilution gene.

Hypoallergenic?

No, all domestic cats have the allergen called Fel D1 which is mainly in their saliva and which they deposit on their coat when grooming. It dries and flies off around the home. Don't believe the stories on the internet that some cat breeds e.g. the Siberian, are hypoallergenic meaning that they won't cause an allergic reaction. They will.

A dry cat food called Purina LiveClear is pretty effective in containing the allergen and preventing it causing an allergic reaction in people allergic to cats. Try it and tell me how it went in a comment please!

When you rescue a shelter cat you save two lives

This is a very sweet, cat loving couple in America who have a wonderful relationship with domestic cats. That message comes across loud and clear in the video at the end of this article. Note: sometimes these sorts of embedded videos from news media website stop working. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.

When you rescue a shelter cat you save two lives. Screenshot.

They've adopted all their cats from shelters and have seven. The lady says that rescue cats are begging to be loved and they will give love if given a chance. 

And she made a nice point about adopting a rescue cat at a shelter. She said that when you do that you of course, save the life of the cat that you have adopted because there is a chance that they might be euthanised if they stay at that shelter for too long because nobody wants them; and secondly, you potentially save the life of another rescue cat because you make room for the cat at the shelter. 

Often shelters are quite full and sometimes full to capacity so in adopting one cat you open up one space for a new rescue cat to be brought into the shelter.

I think that is a very nice way to explain one of the advantages of adopting a shelter. And the husband in this charming relationship says that if you visit a shelter and you meet the cats it's like meeting people. You will meet a cat or cats where there is some chemistry between you.

I am sure that there are many millions of people who don't believe that a human can have a relationship with a cat which contains that magic chemistry but I believe it can happen and you can make it happen at a shelter because you can meet a lot of cat sometimes.

Arguably, there is a much better chance of meeting a cat with that chemistry at an animal shelter than there is at a cat breeder selling a purebred cat. Cat breeders might have four kittens for sale or less. And kittens don't really have a formed character when they were young.

But if you meet a mature cat that has for some unfortunate reason found themselves at a shelter, they will have a character and this allows a connection to be made based upon your character and there's.

It's notable, by the way, that this couple have adopted black cats. That is unusual as well because typically, as you know I am sure, people tend to reject black cats at shelters and prefer to adopt kittens with a more interesting coat type.

Adopting a black cat from a shelter is a sure sign that the person is a true, died in the wool, cat lover. Both these people are. There is no question about it.

Video

An example of ridiculous, pathetic human madness in Vietnam resulting in black cat cruelty

OPINION: I want to briefly revisit the Covid-19 pandemic because in so many ways it illustrates humankind's madness. This particular example comes from Asia. In general, you will see more abuses and cruelty against the cat in Vietnam and China than anywhere else based upon my research. You simply can't avoid it when surfing the Internet.

Superstition is a human weakness. It is, for me, a form of human madness. It leads to animal abuse. Superstition is based upon fear. Humans are fearful of everything and anything.

Black cats farmed in Vietnam waiting to be boiled alive and turned into paste to cure Covid!! Image: SWNS.

In Vietnam in the middle of 2020, when the Covid pandemic was perhaps at its height, black cats were turned into paste and sold as coronavirus remedies. I can remember seeing a child eating black cat paste to protect them against Covid-19 (see link below).

Black cat paste packaged for consumption to cure Covid-19. Image: SWNS.

It was reported that at that time black cats were being boiled, skinned and cooked and then turned into a paste to be sold as a medicine against Covid-19 according to South West New Service (SWNS).

A barbaric, utterly cruel and mindless human practice that was centred around the city of Hanoi. The crazy concoction was sold online. They even fed it to a baby.

RELATED: Vietnamese toddler drinks liquid of dead black cats to protect from coronavirus.

There is a video online somewhere which I don't want to even search for which shows rows of dead cats drying out in the sun after being slaughtered as well as a live cat being boiled. This seems to be another superstition that if you kill cats in a brutal way they taste better and their "medicine" is more effective. How mad does it have to get? How cruel does it have to get before the international community does something to stop it?

Obviously, there is no scientific evidence whatsoever which supports the superstition that eating boiled black cat protects you against Covid-19, which, incidentally, has not died out yet. It is still there infecting people often in hospitals. Be aware of that. Don't visit a hospital to see your ill friend unless you really have to.

It's ironic, too, that the cat meat trade which includes the one mentioned above, can itself spread disease because of the way that they are killed; highly unregulated. Pathogens from this kind of animal slaughter can be transferred to the people doing the slaughtering. That's how people believe the Covid-19 pandemic started in the first place.

Like I said, how mindless does humankind have to be before something is done to stop these people.

I'm told, also, that in Vietnam and Indonesia other "exotic meats" were sold at the time as a cure for Covid-19.

K-pop edit archive - cat steals false eyelash from band member when doing make-up

No idea who this K-pop 'starlet' is if indeed he/she is a starlet. I can't tell if the person is male of female which I think is a GOOD thing. Yes, I am 74 years old but I am very sensitive about the need to respect inclusivity and the LGBTQIA+ community. 

K-pop edit archive - cat steals false eyelash from band member when doing make-up. Screenshot.

No matter what your gender alignment is, you have equal rights to all others. They should and do nowadays demand those rights. This is good. It is an old-fashioned idea that humankind is made up of male and female - a black-and-white situation.

It is not like that. Humankind is grey when it comes to gender. There is a spectrum of sexes but I am not going to get into the biological sex argument. That's a little toxic I feel.

The video

A sort of cute video. The cat sees something interesting in the false eyelash. The fact that this is a false eyelash does not mean that the person is automatically a woman or girl as the 'boys' or young men of K-pop bands wear lots of make-up as part of their production methods.

I wonder what the cat did with the eyelash!? Stashed it away to play with it as a toy. That's my bet. It'll make a nice toy. One danger: the cat might see it as something to eat!

Yes, cats like to play with small objects and then put them into their mouths. A lot of cats have swallowed stuff that they should not have ingested. Lesson: keep small objects off the floor if you live with a cat companion.

I am being too serious.

Kitty with broken arm still makes biscuits

Kitty with broken arm still makes biscuits. Screenshot.

Super cute and a bit sad at the same time. I don't know anything about the backstory but what is obvious is that this cute little blackie is a rescue cat and for some reason they broke their right foreleg. It is been splinted. I suspect the vet thought that being a kitten with growing bones, the leg would knit together well.

Well, if he feels pain, it does not stop him from making biscuits - kneading. The drive to knead is high especially in kittens as it is an instinctive behavior to help the flow of colostrum from their mother's breast as you almost certainly know by now as it has been discussed a lot on the internet.

He is kneading a mother cat substitute: the bedding which feels nice and warm like his mother's breast. Cute. I hope he recovers fully and is lucky enough to be placed in a loving home as soon as he is well enough.

Cat develops a dead straight blonde fur line on her black fur overnight. Why?

This is the question on Reddit.com: Binx has (overnight) developed a dead straight line of blonde on her back. Any ideas?

Black cat with blonde stripe on her back which developed rapidly. Image: u/FyldeCoast on Reddit.com

There is obviously no certainty that I am correct. It is a kind of guess based on little to go on. If you have a better idea please comment. It would be great if you did 😃.

RELATED: 2 examples of feline vitiligo (leukoderma).

This is my answer

It looks like it could be vitiligo. It is harmless. Antibodies attack the melanocytes (pigment producing cells in the skin in the hair follicle bulb). The melanocytes are destroyed and no longer produce melanin, a dark pigment producing black fur. This leads to fur without pigment in a localised area. The hair strands in that are just keratin and therefore semi-transparent having the appearance of being off-white. The white area may expand. Sometimes cats with vitiligo turn from black to white! Studies indicate that changes in the immune system are responsible for the condition and that both underlying genetics and environmental triggers are involved. Now you'll tell me some bleach dripped onto her back 😊.

"Cat of the Month", Flint, has been at Battersea for 5 months because he's black

Flint, a black domestic shorthaired cat, has been at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home for about five months. He's been described as having a playful and bouncy character. He is extremely affectionate and loves to be on a person's lap in the evening. His character is so good that he was awarded "Cat of the Month" by the shelter. He's also been described as "one of the bravest and loveliest chaps" by shelter staff.

Flint. Photo: Battersea Dogs & Cats.

For five months, however, it appears that the colour of his coat outweighed and was more important than his beautiful character. That is the level of the negativity surrounding black fur. It's remarkable really how difficult it is for a shelter cat to overcome this obstacle which they carry by pure chance.

Phone number of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home: 0800 001 4444.

He's been with foster carers and been a superb cat there. I don't know whether this is true but one person commented to say that he had been reserved by an adopter. If it is true, I'm delighted because he is going to make a wonderful cat companion for a lucky person.

Statistics from the USA based upon a study found that of the cats left behind at animal shelters, black cats were the most common at 30% of the "left-behind" cats and with gray cats at 28% and white cat at 26%. They also state that the most common cats to be taken in at an animal shelter are black cats at 33%. Gray cats account for 22%.

Common sense dictates that the reason why people dislike black cats compared to, say, tabby cats is because they are superstitious and there are still very many people who are sufficiently superstitions to believe that black cats bring bad luck particularly with their association with witchcraft from mediaeval times. 

In addition, the black coat is plain and uninteresting to some people. It also is clear that the primary criteria for selecting cat at a cat shelter is not the character of the cat but their appearance. It's a shame because there are many cats with beautiful characters who would be deeply loved given the time but they remain at shelters where they are in jeopardy of being euthanised.

Girlfriend kicks out boyfriend's cat so he kicks out his girlfriend

This is a story on Reddit.com under the banner "Am I the A**hole?" subreddit. The man explained that he agreed to let his girlfriend of 2 years move in to live with him a few weeks ago. It was quickly apparent that she didn't like his 3-year-old black cat, Raven. They carried on and ignored the problem until not long after he was horrified to discover that his cat was missing. As Raven is an indoor cat this was astonishing and unprecedented.

Girlfriend kicks out boyfriend's cat so he kicks out his girlfriend. Image: Pixabay.

The man's friend then spotted Raven a couple of blocks from his home and brought the cat home. The next step is predictable: the man confronted his girlfriend about what had gone on and she admitted that she'd kicked Raven out of their home.

He wrote on Twitter: "I was furious, saying she had no right to kick him out and told her that since she thought she had the power to kick my cat out, I wanted her out of my house by the end of the month."

She cried and said that she had nowhere to go and that she would have to live on the streets. In response he said that he didn't care but gave her until the end of the month to leave his property.

RELATED: Pretty Cat Amongst Ugly Human Behavior.

He was asking Reddit.com users as to whether he was too harsh because his friends think that he is being too harsh. He says that his cat could have died because of his girlfriend's callousness. Also, he could not trust her anymore and had to stop her trying anything else.

In a little twist to the story, she kicked out Raven around Halloween. This genuinely did put the cat in danger because we know that black cats are vulnerable during Halloween in America. Some shelters don't allow people to adopt black cats during that holiday period for fear that they are going to harm the cat.

RELATED: Human behaviour beneficial to cats.

One Reddit user said that Raven is lucky to be alive. Another Reddit user said that he would have kicked her out on the same day that she admitted throwing out Raven. And the argument is that the man is being more generous than she was towards his cat.

What do you think? Was he too tough or not tough enough? By her actions she is effectively telling him that the relationship is not going to work. You don't unilaterally do something like that which puts a pet cat in harm's way. It was highly irresponsible and something which was bound to upset a boyfriend substantially enough to quite possibly break the relationship which is what happened. 

On the basis that the relationship is broken she might as well leave immediately. And I think she was trying it on when she said that she would become homeless. She was just trying to get some sympathy. But if she was genuine then I would try and help but I would insist that she leaves immediately or as soon as possible.

Five black cats vanish near Darlington, UK. Is this witchcraft?

Firstly, there are people who practice witchcraft in the UK today, 2022. You don't hear much about them if anything. You don't see them but they are self-proclaimed witches practicing witchcraft. And they perform weird and wonderful ceremonies. We don't know where they are and I don't think that people are much interested in them except for people like me news media reports that five black cats have gone missing from two places: Croft-on-Tees and Dalton-on-Tees, both near Darlington, UK.

Five black cats vanish near Darlington, UK. Is this witchcraft? Image: PoC.

There are two strange facts about the case. There are other indoor/outdoor cats allowed to roam around these towns which are not black cats. Nothing happened to them. Secondly, the five black cats have completely disappeared. There is no trace of them anywhere. It is as if they no longer exist.

RELATED: The earliest record of the belief that cats are witches in disguise.

This would point strongly to the suggestion that a person or persons have simply taken them. They've been removed from the street and taken somewhere. Bearing in mind the association between black cats and witches, and also bearing in mind, as stated above, that witches remain in the UK even today, it is reasonable to suggest that persons engaged in witchcraft have used black cats as some sort of sacrifice.

That sounds horrible and brutal and it conjures up a very unpleasant image. However, my gut feeling is that it is a reasonable and accurate assessment.

RELATED: Witches and Witches’ Familiars in the UK in the 1970s.

Specifically, three black cats on the same street in Croft-on-Tees vanished without trace in a matter of weeks leaving their caregivers bereft and searching for them.

And two black cats have also gone missing in a neighbouring village: Dalton-on-Tees. The matter is being investigated by the police. Mrs Schmidt who owned a black cat called Tom which has gone missing said:

"It is a complete mystery. The cats are chipped and none have been found on the roads. It is like they have just vanished into thin air. There are loads of cats in our village and it is just the black ones which have disappeared."

Anyone with any ideas or information which might help trace the cats can contact North Yorkshire Police by calling 101, press 2 and ask to speak to PSCO Helen Sutherland.

Jet black mom and her dozen jet black kittens with luminous golden eyes

This photograph has been banging around the Internet for a while I think. I picked up on it quite late in the day. I don't know what to make of it to be honest. It looks as though it could be photoshopped but you never know nowadays. It just seems a little bit artificial, to put it mildly. And this is one litter of kittens. I have counted a dozen kittens which is at the very top end of the number of kittens for a domestic cat litter. Anyway, I don't know but it is an interesting image which I think needs to be featured on this website. 

The cats are all jet black with gold, luminous eyes. If the kittens are genuine, the photographer has creatively placed them in a pumpkin bed which is a hint of Halloween. Black cats go with Halloween but often in the wrong way. I'm sure you know all about the potential hazards for black cats during that holiday period. It's a ridiculous throwback to witchcraft and it amazes me that witchcraft still has a place in society today. Some people even believe in it which tells you how inherently superstitious humankind is.

ASSOCIATED ARTICLES:

• When did black cats become bad luck?
• What is the origin of the black cat superstition?

Leroy, a happy cat who had fragments of his spine in his abdomen and a fused spinal cord

Leroy is at Happy Tailz Cat Rescue Inc. (Tampa Bay area, Florida) . He is being cared for brilliantly. He was badly injured; I am not sure how. His spine was damaged. He was operated on but the infection wouldn't go away so they operated again. They found 3 fragments of his spinal column in his abdomen. They must have split off when he was injured. And nature had fused his spine. The rescue said:

"Dr Sabshin removed the pieces and took an X-Ray which revealed Leroy has a partial fusion of his spinal cord, more than likely from injury related to the formation of his original wound. This cat is a walking miracle. With his spine like this we should see issues walking, even paralysis, but he has no issues!"

Leroy. Photo: the cat rescue.

Nature healed this cat's spine which became partially fused. Image: the rescue.

Fragments of bone from Leroy's spine found in his abdomen. Photo: the rescue.

A handsome, happy and resilient boy cat who is being loved and cared for. And he is a humble black moggy. That's the best thing about it. America's rescue organisations do some impressive work. And lots of them are volunteers doing it for love. They are the best of us.

P.S. I wonder if Leroy is genuinely not feeling pain. Cats purr when in pain and distressed. Although the photo of him shows a relaxed cat.

Black cat's eyes spell FOOD

Clever and observant this makes an interesting cat image. It works really well. It's made better by the abstract shape of the black cat. The eyes are perfect for this photo-editing. Someone will 'steal' the photo for a website about cat food :) 

Cat food is a big subject but surprisingly most cat owners are disinterested in learning about it. I think this is because they rely on the manufacturers to get it right. They generally trust them and always buy the same foods. It does pay, though, to do some research. The best cat foods are as expensive as human foods! That's what I think. I also think that the pet food manufacturers are playing on our emotional connection to our cat. We'll do anything for our cat companion even spend more than we should on food.

The worst kind of cat food is cheap dry cat food. Don't use it exclusively. High quality dry cat food is okay I believe as long as you also provide high quality wet and make sure that they eat it. This may mean covering the dry as it can addictive due to the 'meat digest' that they spray on the tasteless product to make it palatable. This is addictive stuff they spray on. It certainly is for my cat. They are a bit tricky the pet food manufacturers. They want us to buy their dry foods and they achieve that goal through our cats by getting them hooked on the stuff.

Photo: Reddit.com.

Cat weaned too early sleeps with owner's finger in his mouth

This is both cute and sad. This black cat sleeps with his owner's finger in his mouth. This looks like the cat was weaned too early and that his owner's finger is a nipple substitute. It's like sucking your thumb when you're a child and you still do it when you become a teenager and older for emotional comfort. 

It's comforting for this cat which is cute but being weaned too early (which means being removed from your mother's feeding and her breast too early) can lead to this kind of insecure behaviour. I've seen it in a cat I fostered and you see it not too infrequently on the Internet. 

It may be one reason why Siamese cats are predisposed to sucking wool. Cats who have been early weaned will suck items of clothing or parts of the anatomy of their owner. The lanolin in wool smells like the mother's breast. I don't think there is much that can be done about it because the "damage" has been done. 

You might be able to alleviate it through plenty of tender loving care and creating a very secure environment. The cat should not be punished and in my view the owner should put up with it and let their cat do this because if not the cat may take from that human behaviour an understanding that they are being rejected. In other words it might undermine the bond between human and cat.

Cat weaned too early sleeps with owner's finger in his mouth. Screenshot.

Note: videos on this site are typically made by people other than me and held on YouTube servers or the servers of other businesses (not the server storing this website). Sometimes the videos are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened I apologise but I have no control over it.

Can Turkish Angoras be black?

Yes, Turkish Angoras can be black as they come in all colors, all divisions of the traditional category. The white cats are favoured both in the West and certainly in Turkey.  The traditional colours are: black, chocolate, cinnamon, blue, lilac, fawn, red, cream and white.

Believed to be a black Turkish Angora. Photo: Reddit.

The black Turkish Angora bred in America looks like a fairly standard semi-longhaired domestic cat but more refined due to selective breeding. They are an elegant cat with flowing long hair. Their body is described as foreign-type meaning slender. The cat fancy see foreign cats as slender! 

The true Turkish Angoras at Ankara Zoo (yes, they are in a zoo as they are very special) look like all-white, doll-faced Persian cats i.e. traditional Persian cats. There may be a connection in history. Perhaps the original Persian cats originated in Turkey. They certainly did not originate in Persia now Iran to the best of my knowledge. Wrong? Tell me in a comment, please.

A real Turkish Angora in Turkey:

A real Turkish Angora cat. Photo: copyright Angora Cat Association.

Picture of black domestic cat spewing up ectoplasm

So what is ectoplasm? Well, the only time that I have seen it is in old photographs of spiritualist mediums spewing up a long trail of gunk from their mouths to prove that they are in contact with the spirit word, the 'other side'. I don't understand it. Perhaps the ectoplasm is from the other side and is evidence of its existence. The word appears to exist from it use to describe single celled creatures: 'clear outer layer of the cytoplasm in amoeboid cells'.

Black cat spewing up ectoplasm! No actually it is vomit!
Picture in the public domain.

There was a lot of fakery in spiritualism in those days and there still is. The picture of the black cat simply reminded me of the ectoplasm of fake spiritualists. It is a bit of fun. How spiritualists got away with it is beyond me as it looks patently idiotic. Cats are master vomiters. They can vomit with great ease. You only have to be concerned about a cat vomiting if it lasts for 24 hours or thereabouts. Then it is abnormal and questions should be asked as to the cause. Urgent action may be required. Click here for a comprehensive list of reasons for vomiting. Remember vomiting is a symptom of illness not the illness itself.

Fake ectoplasm using muslin. Pic: Wikipedia under
creative commons license.

P.S. A flashlight was used for the picture of the cat. You can tell because the reflective layer at the back of the eye behind the retina has reflected the light back out through the lens. The flash would have frozen the vomit as it was ejected. That is why the image is sharp and clear even though it was taken indoors and the cat is black.

Picture of ebony Oriental Shorthair show cat

This is a Flickr photograph by Terje Sund of a black (ebony) Oriental Shorthair (OSH) at, I believe, a cat show. The photographer describes the cat as a "world winner". I believe that this cat is female. The cat looks fierce but that's just chance and misleading which can happen sometimes in photography. The cat is simply opening their mouth at the same time as the photographer took the photograph. 

Black Oriental Shorthair show cat looking aggressive. Photo: Sund

It gives an impression of aggression but I don't think this is true at all. Although the ears are flat which sorta gives the impression that the cat is trying to protect them, a precursor to aggression. However, I think this too is misleading because often Oriental Shorthair cats are bred with ears that come out of the side of the head rather than are positioned on top of the head. 

This is selective breeding and it looks odd to me and I wondered why it should happen. It should be in the breed standard but it appears not to be. The ears are meant to be "very large with a broad base and pointed. They are set so that the outer edges continue the sides of the wedge". 

There's nothing in there which indicates that they should be horizontal! I'm referring, by the way, to the World Cat Federation breed standard. I have referred to that standard because I believe that this cat is in Europe and has been bred by European breeder.

I recently wrote a short article about black Oriental Shorthair cats. This is another one and I think black goes very well with this breed because it helps to outline the body shape which is very particular for this breed being very slender. The head, too, has a particular profile with a very straight line between the forehead and the nose.

The photographer describes the picture as: Black (ebony) oriental shorthair, OSH n. World Winner, females, 2010 (St. Etienne France) and 2011 (Poland). Coco Chanel's V for Vendetta.

Spike in Black Cat Adoptions Because of Black Panther Film Is Worrying

We are told that the latest CGI, all action, fantasy film for young people called Black Panther has resulted in a sharp spike in adoptions of black cats at shelters in America. On the face of it is excellent news. Of course it is. Black cats are unpopular. Anything to improve their adoption rate must be welcomed.

Photos copyright Helmi Flick

However, being cynical as I am, my mind turned to the apparent fecklessness of this phenomenon. Whereas normally people are reluctant to adopt black cats, when a popular film which is a transient form of entertainment alters opinions overnight such that black cat adoptions rise steeply then it seems to me that the people who are suddenly adopting these cats may change their minds in the not too distant future once they have hit reality and realized that they are not adopting a miniature black panther but a real cat with all the incumbent responsibilities.

Perhaps I'm being too cynical. Of course I welcome the news. Apparently these adopters are keen to adopt black panthers but they can't do that because black panthers are either melanistic leopards, jaguars or cougars. They are large wild cats which are black or near black and pretty well impossible to have as pets. Although it must be said that some people do have mountain lions as pets.

Driven by the desire to have a black panther as a pet they turn to black domestic cats instead and these people name their cats after the names of the characters in the film. It almost seems like they want to play act the film in their living rooms. It doesn't feel good to me.

Incidentally, there is a black cat which is purebred. It is the Bombay Cat. This is a standard shaped domestic cat in all respects save that the coat has been selectively bred to be shiny, jet black like patent leather shoes. They might like to adopt one of these cats. A picture of this cat is featured on this page.

It would be nice to do a follow-up page on this story to see whether the sharp increase in adoptions of black cats persists. One blogger mentioned that her local pet shelters have been cleared out of black cats whereas normally there are between 50 and 60 left languishing in cages because nobody wants them. A pleasant phenomenon indeed but is it enduring?

Shelter Kitten Euthanised Because She Was Black

At a shelter in or near San Diego, USA, a tiny black kitten named Ember was euthanized (in truth killed) because she was considered to be either unfriendly or unadoptable. No doubt she was considered to be unadoptable because black cats are unpopular. They are not unadoptable and neither are they unfriendly. They are just unpopular because people still harbour strange misconceptions and superstitions about black cats even today in the 21st century.

The shelter concerned changed their policy in July 2015 to allow them to euthanize animals that they considered to be unfriendly or unadoptable. It is, though, a bit of a shock to read that they decided that a small, sweet black kitten was automatically deemed to be unadoptable without any effort to see whether she could be adopted. Sometimes somebody comes along who is unconcerned whether a kitten is black or any other colour. Couldn't they have tried a bit harder? It all seems very harsh to me.

The same shelter, through San Diego County officials, have acknowledged that many cats are killed by animal services at the shelter simply because the shelter runs out of space. This may be true but I wonder how committed they are to exploring alternative ways to find adopters for their cats rather than through the conventional channels.

Some shelters use enlightened ideas to maximise the chance of adoption and these shelters have lower kill rates. It is, as usual, about commitment and valuing the lives of each individual cat.

This information comes from the San Diego Union-Tribune via the Santa Maria Times.