Today is National Black Cat Day, designated by Cats Protection in the United Kingdom. In the US they have an equivalent day on 17 August: Black Cat Appreciation Day. Here are 10 facts about black cats:
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The purpose of the day is to encourage people to adopt a Black Cat, because they are allegedly harder to place in forever homes because of their associations with bad luck. However, according to Wikipedia this is a myth, and black cats are actually adopted at a higher rate than other cats.
That said, some cat shelters are said to limit adoptions of black cats in October for fear they might be used in sacrificial rituals. They have certainly been associated with Witches and Satan in the past, which resulted in mass murder of black cats and their owners.
Black is also the most common colour for a cat to be. The colour is caused by the amount of melanin pigment the cat has, and the gene which produces the black colour is dominant. There are also possible evolutionary reasons why black cats are common: firstly, being a dark colour may make it easier for them to stalk prey at night without being seen, so without humans to open tins for them, they’d be better fed. It has also been found that the genes producing black fur are also linked to immunity from some diseases.
This same pigment causes a cat’s eyes to be Yellow or gold, so this is the most common eye colour for black cats.
The black pigment can be easily damaged by UV light. A black cat which spends a lot of time basking in the Sun can end up with fur that turns a rusty colour in places. When the rusty hair falls out, however, it will grow back black.
The idea that black cats are unlucky seems to be widespread mostly in the US. Other cultures see them as positively good omens. In the UK, a black cat crossing your path is lucky; in Latvia, black cats on farms mean prosperity and a good harvest; in Scotland, a house visited by one can expect a financial windfall; in Japan, owning a black cat is good for your love life, and in parts of England, a black cat given as a wedding gift means the bride will be lucky and happy.
In America, where the number 13 is also considered unlucky, Space Shuttle missions were numbered so that there was no STS-13, possibly influenced by the ill-fated Apollo 13. Of course, even re-named as STS-41C, one mission still had to be the 13th launched. The crew of this mission rolled with that and made a humorous mission patch that included a black cat and a number 13. Nevertheless, they not only made it home safely after a successful mission, they landed on Friday 13th.
Because the colour black is associated with anarchism, the black cat has been adopted as a symbol of anarchy.
Bastet, the Egyptian Goddess, was depicted as a black cat.
Black cats are not a specific breed. In fact, there are over 20 breeds of cat which can come with a solid black coat, or they can be of mixed breed. There is one breed of cat which is always black, however, the Bombay, which has been bred that way.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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