A South London animal rescue has spoken out in frustration after a surge of adopters rejecting cats on the basis of their coat colour.
A Facebook post by The Stray Cat Club, based in Croydon, voicing anger at the continued unpopularity of its black and black-and-white cats, has since gone viral, attracting thousands of reactions and shares.
The post read: “Please don’t apply to adopt from us if you’re not open to black or black & white cats! This week alone, nine people turned down cats who would have been perfect for them. Not because of behaviour or temperament, but because of colour.”
According to The Stray Cat Club, their priority is to place animals with a family that matches their needs and temperament, however, many prospective adopters will reportedly turn down a recommended cat in favour of ones they prefer aesthetically.
The viral post was prompted after a particularly disheartening case, said long-time volunteer Louise Chambers: “I just hit the end of my tether. A woman looking to adopt had a child with complex needs, and we had a kitten who’d been raised in a foster home with a child who had the same needs.
“It was the perfect fit for them, but the moment she saw the photo, it was an instant no. It broke me that they didn’t want to continue with the adoption just because of the cat’s colour.”
Over the past year, the number of cats taken in by the charity has more than doubled. Among them, 88 are black and 97 are black-and-white.
Meanwhile, cats of other colours tend to find homes far more quickly: one grey cat called Lavender sparked 19 adoption applications on the day she gave birth, yet black-and-white kittens born just hours earlier received no interest for weeks.
The rescue’s longest-unmatched cat, Remy (black-and-white), was posted three times and went months without an inquiry.
“People see cats as products”, said Chambers, “And it’s gotten worse, because that’s the way society is heading. People are more worried about appearances and the image they can portray online.”
According to the RSPCA, black and black-and-white cats are nearly three times more likely than other coloured cats to enter rescue care, and take around three times longer to be rehomed.
The charity says some are even returned because their dark coats “don’t photograph as well” on social media.
“The post went viral, and lots of other charities shared it too, so it’s clearly a problem all around the world,” added Chambers.
Studies from the U.S. have found similar trends, with black cats being the least likely to be adopted and the most likely to be euthanised.
Elsewhere, superstition continues to influence how black cats are treated; in Terrassa, Catalonia, the local council has temporarily banned the adoption or fostering of black cats from 1 October through 10 November, citing fears that some might be adopted for Halloween-related “rituals” or irresponsible uses.
October is Black Cat Awareness month, an international campaign to challenge stigma and celebrate these historically maligned felines.
As Chambers put it: “I’ve never come across a mean black cat. They’re the sweetest characters, and they don’t have a mean bone in their body.”
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