National Black Cat Appreciation Day

Our second cat was a black kitty named Chaya. At that time, we only had one other cat, Lindy, who was one-year-old at the time. My husband, Mario, said that we could keep Chaya as long as she got along with Lindy. I’m not sure Lindy was such a huge fan of Chaya’s at first—Chaya just wanted to play with Lindy, but for some reason, Lindy seemed to find that beneath her. Mario and I loved her from the very beginning, as she was so affectionate and and had an entertaining and somewhat mischievous attitude towards life. We kept Lindy and Chaya separated at first, and one of us, usually me, slept with Chaya. She stuck her nose in my ear and purred all night long, and when I left the bedroom, she leapt on my back so she could leave with me. She loved to bat at Lindy’s tail when Lindy was in the window swishing it as she bird watched (probably why Lindy was not such a fan). She also loved to play catch with any little ball you would throw at her. One of her favorite things to do though was hide outside when it was time to come in. We used to call her “Invisi-Kitty” as it is very hard to see a black cat in the shadows. And we knew she could hear us calling, but she was just playing a game: “I’m not coming in until you find me.” Very, very sadly we lost Chaya in January, but we will always love and appreciate her. I’m not sure why some people consider black cats to be bad luck, but she brought nothing but joy to our house, and I’m sure the owners of the other black cats featured in these photos will tell you that they feel the same way towards their black kitties.

Ellen Zangla Photography—Specializing in pets and the people who love them.