Did you know that black cats often spend more time in the shelter, when compared to their colorful counterparts? It’s true. Some say it’s because these ebony beauties don’t photograph well, so adopters aren’t prompted to drop everything to visit. Others say that myths about black cats persist, and they make people choose cats without black fur.
Whatever the reason, the black cat phenomenon is a very real thing. And at the moment, there are a LOT of black cats needing homes at Willamette Humane Society. I’d like to tell you about a few of them.

Mesmerising Miny

Okay, I’m cheating a little here, as Miny has white fur in addition to black. But she has enough black coloring to qualify her for inclusion in this blog entry, right? I think so.
Miny came to the shelter when her parents were moving, and they couldn’t take her along. The transition from home life to shelter life has been pretty hard on Miny.

When I walked in to greet her this morning, I got what I’m calling the “sheep eyes.” Miny seemed really worried about me and my plans, and she pleaded with me with her eyes for mercy. It broke my heart a little, and thankfully, it didn’t last long.
As soon as I started talking with Miny, she started marching in place with her wee little feet, and within about a minute, she let me pet her from head to tail. All the time, she purred and purred and purred.

Miny has a great history with other cats, and while she avoids kids, she tolerates them. This makes her an excellent adoption candidate, and I hope her shyness doesn’t work against her.
The perfect people for Miny will consider her a long-term investment. They’ll set her up in one room at first, and the family will allow her to grow comfortable there. Then, they’ll give her access to another room. And so on. All the while, this family will lavish Miny with love, affection and positive reinforcement. In no time at all, she’ll be a cherished member of the family.
Can you commit to the health of a girl like this? She needs you. I hope you’ll visit her.

Clever Cookie

Cookie also has quite a bit of white on her little face and belly, but most of her fur is a delicious ebony color. And she has a LOT of fur.

At the moment, Cookie weighs a whopping 15 pounds, which is a lot of weight. She needs to work with a medical team in order to lose weight in a controlled and safe manner, and the sooner that happens, the better. Good food and a lot of exercise should do the trick.
And exercising Cookie should be a joy. She might be big, but she is pretty darn speedy. During my visit, she ran all around her little suite, and jumped up and down and up and down from the cat tree. Just imagine how busy she might be if she had access to a laser toy. She’d be unstoppable. And she’d be svelte in no time.

Cookie has a history of living with other cats, but her previous owner reports that she can be a little feisty. Cookie has also lived with dogs. And, she apparently loves children.
But, Cookie does need to work on her love skills. In the shelter and in her previous home, she’s been known to give what she thinks of as “love bites,” and what we think of as “ouch!” Cookie is just so happy to get attention that she loses control and bites. It’s an unpleasant behavior, but it’s also common and it’s very trainable. The team here would love to tell you more about what to do.

Apparently, Cookie loves to go outside, too, and her favorite bed is a flower pot. I hope someone gives her that dirt access soon.

So Many Kittens!

We’re in the midst of kitten season right now, and there are tons and tons of small faces just waiting for you. If you’re in the market for a small cat, consider taking home one of the ebony beauties, like this girl.

Again, black cats get overlooked for colorful counterparts. If you simply must have a kitten, be sure to give the black ones a try. Black fur blends in with most furniture, and who wouldn’t want a mini-panther for a pet?

Bonus Beauty: Onyx

Onyx was too shy to pose for my camera today, but she really put on a show for our cat photographer, Marilyn. I’m using her excellent photos to tell you all about this all-black beauty.

Onyx came to the shelter due to difficulties in a multi-cat home. Apparently, she got a little jealous about a new addition, and she showed her displeasure with litter box accidents. We’re not seeing any of that here, but it might be best for Onyx to go into a single-cat home.
And there are all sorts of reasons to choose her. She has a long and excellent history of living with dogs, for example, and has been known to sleep with, play with and groom her canine buddies. Dog people: Snap this girl up!

And, Onyx has also lived with kids and she enjoys their company. That’s another huge, huge bonus.
All black, semi-shy cats like Onyx that don’t like other cats face huge adoption obstacles. And it’s a shame, as these are darling cats that deserve good homes. Let’s turn the tide and get this girl out ASAP, shall we?
That’s it for this week! As always, please share these stories so we can get these kitties into new homes.