It was in the spring of 2011, right after the earthquake in Japan, when a black cat wandered into my yard. The cat was the size of my palm, seemingly lost from its mom. My family — mainly my mother, who is a huge cat enthusiast — fell in love with the cat and decided to take her into our home. Ever since then, this black cat, who I named Ranon, has been charming me so much.
We even ended up with two more cats: a black-and-white cat that our grandparents’ cat gave birth to and another black cat, abandoned by its mother, that my sister found on the street. Today, I will present to you, who may or may not be fond of cats, three reasons why you should befriend — and possibly domesticate — black cats.
The first reason is simple — you look at their black coat, and that is the most beautiful thing that you could ever set your eyes on. Their coat changes color in the light to become dark brown on a cozy sunny day. Imagine a black fuzzy kitten napping and rolling on bright green grass. You rub her warm belly, showered by a soft ray of sunshine, and she replies with her gentle purring. Who could refuse such a beautiful vision?
If you are still not convinced, I also have a practical reason as to why you should have a black cat by your side. You know what the color black does in the sunlight? It gathers light and heat. Here in Iowa, winter can get fatally cold — like last week! But even on such deadly, freezing days, we sometimes get a sneak peek of sunshine.
On such days, we bring our black cats near the window. They get to have their napping moments in the sunlight, while we humans rub their bellies and enjoy their body warmth. If your black cat is friendly enough — most in my household are not, at least not to me — you might have a chance to sleep on the same bed as your black cat after their nappy-nap in the sun. When my cat occasionally does this, it is the happiest, warmest time of my life that guarantees me a quality sleep.
You might think, “But black cats are moody!” First, you are correct — they are moody. Second, that is another charming point of black cats. People in Japan sometimes describe black cats’ moodiness as “tsundere,” which means that they are almost always grumpy, but sometimes show explicit affection when they feel like it. This is a huge charm, not only for cats but also for people because the sweetness of affection hits harder when you are used to receiving a salty reaction. The moodiness of the black cats never decreases their charisma, only enhances it.
In some cultures, black cats are regarded as a symbol of bad luck, which turns some people away from them. I respect those cultural beliefs. However, I look back on my life and do not find any bad luck that my two lovely black cats brought in. Rather, their presence healed my tired soul coming back from the busy city when I was a high schooler, and gave me a place to take a mental rest from school life.
Black cats will always be your powerful, warm, beautiful, healing friends — if you treat them right.
