Last year, we published a blog about how amazing life with house panthers can be, despite silly superstitions to the contrary. We heard from a handful of you that count themselves fortunate to share your lives with black cats— affectionately referred to as ‘void cats.’ We had such an outpouring of support and enthusiasm for these sleek beauties that we wanted to share more of your stories and photos with you!
Dr. Bell, one of our shelter vets, is a self-described house-panther-lover. She says, “I’m lucky enough to have had a total of 5 house panthers in my life. Calcifer, my first house panther, was an extremely sweet social butterfly who befriended nearly every cat he met, and was obsessed with being a foster dad to my roommate’s foster kittens. My current panther pack is Pippin, Merry, Howl, and Makemake. Pippin is a majestic,
intelligent cat who always looks very regal, even when he’s launching himself through the air onto my shoulders for a shoulder ride. Merry is a very chatty, busy, playful, curious, weird, dramatic, goofy cat who is endlessly entertaining to live with. Howl pretended to be a tough and scary semi-feral cat when he first showed up, but quickly blossomed into a cuddly cheerful house panther who loves cozy beds, reading books with his human, and cuddling with his cat siblings. Makemake is the newest addition to the panther pack, and is the sweetest, kindest, and smartest little house panther. She’s also very outdoorsy and her favorite activity is to climb around the catio like a monkey, and to hang out with her cat brothers in her catio on a sunny day. Of course every cat is perfect, but the miniature panthers I’ve lived with have been extraordinarily special.”
12 years ago, Steve and his family adopted an adorable, long-haired, black kitten with a back-leg amputation. He tells us, “Tri-Ped got around fine, ran around like she had all four legs. She was pretty quiet except when I would be dishing up her food; she would screech so loud you could probably hear her a block away. She rose to national fame when she was featured in a Tidy Cat promotion in 600 Petco stores nationwide.” We think all black cats are superstars that deserve the spotlight, but Tri-Ped truly made waves!
“My black cat Ninja is my little rockstar! He’s a nonstop source of entertainment and always the life of the party. His days are filled with top-tier birdwatching from his window perch, patrolling his domain like a tiny deputy, rolling around in Amazon wrapping paper like it’s his personal jungle gym, and baking the most delicious biscuits in his culinary career!
Stephanie says of the adorably sleek black kitten she and her
family adopted 7 years ago. “His cute antics are guaranteed to make me laugh every time. And when it’s cuddle time? He’s officially the best snuggler on the planet—hands down!”
“My love of black cats started over 20 years ago with the now late Nicodemus and Malachi. Just about three years ago, I was so happy to welcome CAT alumni Kazumi into my home. This sweet girl helped foster many litters of kittens for Multnomah County Animal Services and eventually insisted on adopting a floofy buddy.” Erin adopted Kazumi as a 2-month-old tiny bundle. She tells us, “She loves her bunny friends and spent hours under a sofa snuggled up with her bunny friend Fennel. As much as she enjoys romping with the bunnies, she doesn’t quite “get” their green leafy food. She loves meaty treats and giving sweet massages to her friends.”
