Some people may wonder why black cats are special? Black cats are thought to have survival of the fittest genes that may give them stronger immune systems and make them more disease-resistant than other domestic cats.
Black Cat Genes
Black cats have a bad reputation and are linked to dark forces and bad luck.
However, when it comes to health are black cats the luckiest of them all?
The genetic mutation that gives a cat an all-black coat is thought to be the same mutation that aids us humans to fight disease.
Scientists believe that black cats may get their coloring through a sort of survival of the fittest type resistance to disease.
Many think that camouflage is the main reason for such dark coloring but maybe it’s more to do with health?
There is hope amongst some that further studies into cat genomes, may aid us in the elimination of certain diseases in humans.
The 22 Black Cat Breeds
The CFA (Cat Fanciers’ Association) states that there are 22 breeds of domestic cat that can have an all-black coat.
The American and European Shorthair aswell as the Bombay Cat appear to be the most common of domestic black cats in my experience.
Many people call their black cats “mini panthers” and that is the inspiration for the name of this website.
An ambition to create a “mini panther” became reality when cat breeder Nikki Horner created the Bombay cat breed in the 50s.
The Bombay Cat is the only black cat of the 22 that is exclusively black and usually has amazing-looking copper-colored eyes.
Black Cat Gods and Goddesses
Bastet was a high deity of ancient Egypt and was in the form of a cat god.
‘Bast’ for short has a close link to Isis the Goddess. Isis, the female Goddess is most often pictured with black cats by her side.
In the world of Tarot Isis can be seen on the High Priestess card in one of A.E Waite’s books dating back to 1911.
Bastet was known as the “mother of all people” to the ancient Egyptians and with black cats by her side, it’s easy to see why black cats were held in such high regard.
Why Black Cats are Special – My Thoughts
We live with a male all-black cat called Coco and he is definitely special to us.
I’m sure that everybody looks at their own pet with heart eyes regardless of the species, breed, or color.
Everybody has something that is special to them so, like a lot of things in life, this topic is highly subjective.
Now saying all of that, I do feel that there is something extra special about black cats and melanistic animals (black animals) in general.
Panthers, black horses, crows, black cats and more are all heavily depicted and used in books, movies, and art and there has to be a reason for that.
For me it’s because melanistic animals are so striking!
They have a fascinating look about them that people find intriguing…
Looks aside, when you dig deeper into the health side of things, this is equally fascinating.
I mentioned in another blog post that if melanism is a survival of the fittest type mechanism, then will we see an increase in the numbers of all-black animals?
For a black cat to be all-black, both parents have to carry the black cat gene and with that in mind, maybe we will see an increase in domestic cats carrying the gene over time?
You may ask “why black cats are special?”
Coco simply just arrived out of nowhere onto our doorstep one day and I must that, this day was one of the most special days of my life!
Have you seen the My Mini Panther Facebook page?
Lee Harris
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