Black cats haven't always had a great rep; the mystical connotations have them as either unlucky or a symbol of witchcraft, which (witch?) is off-putting to some. But you would have thought that in the age of perennial cat memes – where some have become actual internet celebrities – that all cats would have benefit from their new iconic status.
However, black cats are literally being left behind, as rescue centres have seen an increasing in the number of black cats not being left behind by prospective adoptees, or worse still being abandoned by their owners. Not because they're bad or unlucky or whatever, but because they don't photograph well.
The RSPCA said that 70% of the 1,000-plus cats in its care are black, or black and white, and a spokesperson for the animal charity Blue Cross told The Telegraph that it had seen a 65% rise in the number of black cats it took in annually between 2007 and 2013.
Unfortunately, we get why (not that we're condoning it). Though cats comprise one of the main pillars of Instagram formats (selfies, food shots, dog shots and perfectly crafted cocktails being some of the others), there's no filter to bring out the aesthetically pleasing qualities of a black cat. They should be venerated for their ability to transcend film and look totally gorgeous in real life, treated as one of those un-Instagrammable things you have to be there to appreciate like an in-joke or a delicious meal or mind-blowing sex. But instead, black moggies are being cast aside in favour of more colourful felines.
'We have had a lot of black cats in this year – people don’t like black at the moment,' said Ronnie McMillen, who owns the Millwood Cat Rescue Centre in Edwalton, Nottinghamshire.
'Others look at the black cats and then just say "Oh, have you got anything else?" Ginger male cats are the most popular but I think the black cats are beautiful and photograph fine.'
It's not only the age of the selfie that's to blame, though – cats can't take selfies, duh – but an RSPCA spokesperson said that, as prospective cat owners look through their website (AdultCatFinder?) to adopt a cat, they tend to look past the black animals.
Maybe it's time for humans to start purr-using through paw-tential pets in real life. Then they might start seeing the true beauty of a black cat beyond their appearance on social media. Plus, if this what happens to cats as a result of our culture of taking photos of absolutely everything, then what on earth must this same culture be doing to humans?
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Picture: Our Picture Editor, Anna Jay (who begs to differ)
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.