Animal advocates work to get black cats adopted

Though many people avoid crossing black cats’ paths, Siglinda Scarpa wants prospective pet owners to realize their potential as loving companions.

While black cats’ ominous reputation has withstood the test of time, a movement is gaining momentum in the greater Chapel Hill area to reverse this perception.

Scarpa is the executive director of the Goathouse Refuge, a no-kill sanctuary for cats in Pittsboro.

But she said despite how many cats are adopted, black cats are often overlooked.

“I think that somehow it is a historical problem,” she said. “I feel somehow people have developed a prejudice towards them.”

Scarpa said she hopes to put an end to the stereotype.

“I feel people feel that they are malicious,” she said. “There are so many rumors and stories of black cats causing bad omens or bad luck. Black cats should be seen as they are — a beautiful, sleek animal.”

Scarpa said a cat’s personality is not unique simply to its color but to its breed.

“Black cats are absolutely like any other cat,” she said.

“Different breeds do have different personalities and characteristics but it does not depend on the color.”

Scarpa said last year, less than one-third of black cats were adopted at the refuge.

To change this trend, Goathouse Refuge has planned a “Back in Black” promotion in November.

To encourage adoption, the refuge has lowered its adoption fee by $25, from $100 to $75, for the first 75 black cats adopted.

And on Sunday Goathouse Refuge will host a Second Sunday Cat Cafe, featuring various black cats and kittens available for adoption.

Robert Marotto, director of the Orange County Animal Shelter, said he does not track any trends in adoption based simply on color. He said the overall rate of cat adoption is low in Orange County.

About 45 percent of cats that entered Orange County Animal Shelter were euthanized in 2011, according to data from the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Overall, the rate for North Carolina was 78 percent.

“Cats are a challenge today,” he said. “We have not had any significant improvement in the rate of cat adoption.”

Ginny Larkin-Thorsen, co-chairwoman for UNC Helping Paws, said this is a trend that should be reversed.

“Much like people have stereotypes about particular breeds, there is also a subconscious association people have with black animals,” she said.

Larkin-Thorsen said she works to advocate the importance of adopting for an animal’s companionship, not color.

“It’s about the personality, not the color or breed, and that is something that we in Helping Paws like to emphasize because we want people to adopt based on the dog or cat, not specifically on their breed or look,” she said.

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