Black cats less likely to be taken home from shelters
Many people became new pet owners during the first wave of the coronavirus with shelters even developing queues for pets to take home. There are no queues currently, but people with a affinity for black cats will likely find themselves a roommate.
Cats may have to wait for their own human for quite a while. A cat named Karri waited for nine years at the shelter in Võru and the moment it felt like all the waiting would not pay off, the feline finally found a home, ETV's daily affairs show "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported on Thursday.
Red cats do not tend to stay in shelters for long, because there is a belief that calico or tri-colored cats bring money. Cats with a black or black-white coat find it more difficult to find a home.
There are more than 90 black cats looking for homes in shelters across Estonia. Non-profit organization Varjupaikade MTÜ manages six shelters and deemed October to be Black Cat Month. This means cats with black coats can be taken home for just €1. The fee would otherwise be €35.
"We noticed that these black and black-white cats stay in shelters for a long time and they are not taken home too often. One reason might be that Estonians are very superstitious and we have all heard that a black cat crossing a road brings bad luck," said Varjupaikade MTÜ spokesperson Anni Anete Mõisamaa.
Since the start of October, 50 black cats have found a home.
Aside from the appearance, people often look at the animal's age when going to a shelter. Dogs older than five can spend years in shelters. Now with Black Cat Month drawing to a close, the shelters will push to find senior dogs homes.
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Editor: Kristjan Kallaste
