black cat-appreciation day-tattoos
Cats,  Feline Fine Art

Black Cat Appreciation Day Cat Tattoos

If you love cats, sharing makes us purrrr :-)

Black Cat Appreciation Day Cat Tattoos by Layla Morgan Wilde

Every August we celebrate house panthers far and wide. The Black Cat Appreciation Day holiday originated in the U.S. but after blogging about it for ten years, it’s reach is global. I no longer have a black cat since my beloved Clyde died on his 20th birthday but I’ll make any excuse to promote and celebrate every black cat.

You’re Invited!

While I’m not blogging as much, I am very active at my Cat Wisdom club and Intuition Collective club on Clubhouse, the audio app where I host several events weekly. It’s free to join and I’d love you to join my Black Cat party today! Just a chill lounge to talk about our cats.

Click to join at 5:30 pm ET.
BLACK CAT APPRECIATION DAY EVENT

and ya know I have to plug my book…it’s on sale at 40% off if you’re viewing this in August, 2021. Update 2024: still a great deal!


This year I’m sharing the art of black cat tattoos. They are often portraits of the owners’ cat either in realistic detail or more illustrated. In the past few years I’ve seen an uptick in memorial cat tattoos as the ultimate in kitty devotion.

After Clyde died I toyed with the idea of a tat but it never felt right. As tattoos became mainstream, I remained uninked. Never say never but I haven’t found a design that spoke to me, let alone inking entire sleeves or torsos. The closest I came was going to a tattoo studio with a friend and while she got inked, I couldn’t decide on the art or the location.

There was a time not too long ago when tattoos were more discrete or hidden but now anything goes anywhere. No one has just one. They sprout up like vines wrapping wide swathes of skin. This is a cool design but what happens when you want to unbutton a button on a formal occasion? I guess it’s a calling card for the tattooist.

 

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At a Cat Writers’ conference in 2011, I wore a temporary tattoo. It was cute and a good idea to test the inky waters before committing. I admired cat lovers who wanted to wear permanent reminders of love on their arm or leg or goodness knows where. After my beloved cat Merlin died, I envisioned his sweet face on my arm but I remain a tattoo virgin.

cattoo designs-cat-tattoo- Layla Morgan Wilde- cat wisdom 101.com

I guess my style was more in keeping with this vintage cat lady. Temporary but no less of a cat lover.

cats your Halloween spirit animal

 

Instagram beckoned with the 30,000 #blackcattattoo hashtag, a huge jump in a couple years. I searched way back for the most unusual, pretty or interesting examples. Every possible style is represented today. If you wear jewelry to match, putting on black cat clickers is not a wrong answer. We also have below the navel cat goddess Bastet. Actually, I wouldn’t mind a miniature version of this.

 

Black cat-tattoo-Egyptian

Scale can range from tiny to life size or over-sized. I think this pretty silhouette would work better smaller.

Ditto this sweet “love you to the moon and back” sentiment.

Black cats with a pop of color from flowers is a nice touch.

Check out this reel from Instagram. Lovely work.

 

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This one will always be ready for Friday Night Box Pawty!

The creative process with a similar kitty face as above in a Japanese style.

More flowers in a large scale tattoo. Colored ink does fade more quickly and requires touch ups.

Pretty as a pumpkin. Halloween themed tats are popular. They can be sweet as this one or scary. I’m not showing those. Black cats don’t need more examples of misguided superstitions.

What’s better than a cute Halloween cat? Two! Imagine this pair on the back of the legs as the person is walking.

This is perfect example of a beautifully executed realistic portrait. Is there a cat you’d want tattooed on you? If so, who and what kind?

Do you already have a cat tattoo? Do tell, in the comments. Or tell me how you are celebrating Black Cat Awareness Day.

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