Nothing is quite as elegant as a black cat—like a miniature Amazonian jaguar, they doze atop the highest point in the area, waking for several hours daily to prowl around hunting for a tasty morsel. But black cats and kittens are often overlooked when animal shelters are looking for new homes, and can be at the shelter much longer than they should be. So why is this?

History of Black Cat Appreciation Day

Interestingly, cats in ancient Egypt were revered highly, partly due to their ability to combat vermin such as mice, rats. Cats of royalty were known to be dressed in golden jewelry and were allowed to eat right off their owners’ plates. The goddess of warfare was a woman with the head of a cat named Bastet.

These days, however, black cats are often are seen as unlucky or mischievous, but not everyone knows why that is. In Celtic mythology, it was believed that fairies could take the form of black cats, and therefore their arrival to a home or village was seen as sign of good luck. Unfortunately, the Pilgrims that came after them were devoutly religious and fearful of anything remotely related to the pagan beliefs of their ancestors, and it was because of that fear that black cats went from being seen as the vessels of fairies to the vessels of witches and demons. At that time it became common practice to severely punish those who kept black cats as pets, and even kill the animals themselves.

Although these days nobody really believes black cats are witches or demons in disguise anymore, they are still often seen as signs of bad luck by many people in the West.

How to celebrate Black Cat Appreciation Day

How you decide to celebrate this will depend on how you answer the following questions: firstly, do you have a cat? Secondly, if you don’t have a cat, would you like to and are you ready to have one? And thirdly, if you answered no to the previous two questions, what can you do to celebrate this special animal?

If you have a cat, especially a black one, today is the day to make it feel extra special. We are all so busy with their lives nowadays that we often forget to show give our pets back a some of the love they give us on a daily basis. So buy your cat a new toy or a tasty treat and spend the afternoon playing tug-of-war or rubbing its belly—nobody knows how to enjoy the little things in life like animals do.

If you’ve been thinking about getting a cat of your own and have the time to take proper care of it, maybe today should be the day you welcome a furry feline into your life? Animals shelters are always bursting at the seams with both kittens and older cats who need a human of their own and a warm cozy bed and black cats are less likely to get adopted than other cats, so what are you waiting for? If you are willing to spend a bit of money, you can also buy a black kitten—breeds such as the Bombay are solid black and known to be playful and affectionate.

And even if you can’t have a cat due to allergies or other reasons, that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate this day! Making a small donation to your local animal shelter can help countless felines and get you in good with the cats of this world…you know, just in case they really do have magic powers.

Not to be confused with Black Cat Day which is on October 27th.