Black Cat Awareness Month: 10 Years Later

Yup, still black after all these years. And a few new shareable graphics.

I started Black Cat Awareness Month at my kitchen table around the same time, I launched that Wisdom 101 in 2011. Officially though the event launched in 2016, but who’s counting? I wanted to give overlooked black cats a month of their own, and I had no idea what I was starting.

Now every October my feeds fill with house panthers. There are black cat groups, pages, and hashtags I’ve never heard of, and I love it. A holiday that outgrows its founder is a holiday that works.

The picture is slowly improving. Black cats are still the color most likely to end up in shelters, and they often wait longer to be adopted, but that bias is easing. Every photo, share, and adoption chips away at a superstition that’s centuries old.

So help me celebrate this year. Share your black cat’s photo and name in the comments, or tag me on Instagram, and I’ll feature a few through October.

If you want the full story of how it began, [start here].All about Black Cat Awareness Month

Happy Black Cat Awareness Month, dear lovers of house panthers.

Layla and Otto who thinks he’s a black cat with white socks and bikini. Lumi who thinks she is a black cat with a splash of abstract white paint. And most of all, love from my dearest #otrb Black Cat Clyde.

P.S. If you see the event shared without a name attached or credit, now you know where it started. Pass it on. And while we’re at it if you haven’t already seen our now classic book that changed black cat awareness, hint hint 😹

Black Cats Tell All: True Tales and Inspiring Images