Throughout history, black cats have gotten a bad rap; they’ve been considered bad luck if they cross your path and some thought they were the familiars of witches. In today’s society, black cats still have to contend with superstitious people, they have a harder time finding homes if they’re in shelters, and there are now people who say black cats are less adoptable because they’re harder to photograph for Instagram. There are some similarities between how society treats and views sex workers and how society treats and views black cats; we’re both very misunderstood and unfairly judged. I’ve noticed quite a few porn performers and cam models have black cats, and to me, it seems like the perfect pairing of the societal outcasts.
When I was 19, I found a sick black kitten in an alley by itself, barely hanging on to life. He was only a quarter of a pound, fit in the palm of my hand, and the vet told me I was probably wasting my money trying to save him. I bottle-fed him every 3 hours, determined to help him get back on his feet, or paws, rather. And contrary to what the vet said, he pulled through and rescuing him is one of the things in my life I’m most proud of. I was going through a particularly terrible time in my life and this cat was exactly what I needed to start feeling better. Now we’re 10 years down the road and I can’t imagine my life without him. I named him after Oliver Twist since he was an orphan, it just seemed fitting.
Porn performer Kleio Valentien has had her cat, Maggie, for six years now. “I found Maggie at the ASPCA. She was hiding in the back of her cage scared while all the other cats were meowing and trying to get my attention. I was told she is fully blind in one eye and she has limited sight in the other. Her siblings were all adopted but she was not because no one wanted a handicapped kitten. I fell in love with her and her sad story and had to take her home that day.”
Fetish performer Dixie Comet has had her cat, Boris, for nearly seven years now. “Boris was a stray cat that a friend of a sex worker friend of mine found. She texted me a picture of a black kitten and asked if I wanted him. She knew I was looking to adopt a cat, so I said yes! Even if he wasn’t black, I would have said yes, but it was truly meant to because I was looking to adopt a black cat.”
“I didn’t even plan on getting a second cat, but my sugar daddy at the time gave me a Petsmart gift card for my birthday and they were having an adopt-a-thon for a local shelter. I fell in love with a tiny tuxedo cat (mostly black but with a few white markings) who had already been in the shelter for a year. I took her home with me and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. When I got her paperwork in the mail I found out she was actually from my hometown, an hour away in another state where I found Oliver as a stray, so it really felt like fate. I can’t even express how much these two help with my mental health and stress levels. Studies have shown that owning a cat lowers your risk of a stroke by a third, and their purrs are said to help lower blood pressure, and I can definitely feel the health benefits of having my cats in my life.”
“Boris filled my life with love in a very lonely time in my life. When I got him, it was a vow to stay home and focus more on shooting for myself and not traveling for work constantly. It worked and now my business is thriving (also have to thank my husband Nate on that). So Boris really helped get me more focused on creating my own content and making that my full-time job. He totally helps ease my anxiety. He’s so purry and lovable and knows when I’m not feeling so awesome,” says Dixie.
Christopher Gutierrez is the co-founder of The Catcade, a non-profit, arcade-themed cat rescue and lounge in Chicago, Illinois. “What we have found is that people might not want a black cat simply because they aren’t ‘pretty’ enough. Generally, these are adopters who want more ‘Instagrammable-looking’ cats and who don’t make the cat’s personality a priority,” Christopher says.
Black cats are wonderful companions and they’re definitely not bad luck. “If you believe your luck is based upon the color of a cat, you have way more important things to work on,” Christopher says.
“I personally think I will always have at least one black cat in my life. They are such unique, special little creatures, and I really relate to the harsh judgments they face from others. “I will always have a black cat. I just think they have the best personalities. I could be very biased,” Dixie says.
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