October 25, 2009

Dear Obie,
Where have you been? We miss you!
Signed, Calypso
Keizer, Oregon

Dear Calypso,
I'm sorry I haven't written a column in a while. It has been really busy here at our new home, with my humans getting in all the sight-seeing they can before winter closes the National Parks around here. Plus, my brother, Mackenzie, got sick and had to be taken care of, so my human daddy didn't have a lot of time to do my typing for me. Luckily, Mackenzie is doing great now, and things are slowing down, so I'm back!
Your friend,
Obie

*****

Dear Obie,
Earlier in the year, you wrote a column about black cats. With Halloween coming, could you please talk again about black cats and the rumors that surround them?
Signed, Gail
Salem, Oregon

Dear Gail,
I'd be glad to! I'm a black cat, as you know, and I hate those rumors! Here is the email I received and my answer to it.
Your friend,
Obie

(From February 13, 2009)
Dear Obie,
What's the deal about this story I keep hearing about black cats being unlucky? I'm a black cat, and I think my humans are very lucky to have me in their lives. Since you are a black cat, also, I'm hoping you can help get rid of this silly rumor.
Signed, Miss Madison
Pine Ridge, North Dakota

Dear Miss Madison,
I agree with you one hundred percent! I wish I had the power to get that crazy idea out of people's heads, yet some still want to believe that black cats are unlucky, just like they believe breaking a mirror brings seven years bad luck, and it's bad luck to walk under a ladder, and Friday the 13th is an unlucky day. Humans have the silliest notions!

In Great Britain, owning or seeing a black cat is considered to be very GOOD luck! King Charles I owned a black cat that he loved very much, and, as if to prove the cat's luck, the day after the black kitty passed away the kind was arrested! Also, fishermen's wives in the British Isles kept black cats when their husbands went out to sea, believing that the good luck inherent in the black cat would see their men home safely. Maybe the unlucky black cat rumor started in the United States way back in the Pilgrim days as another way of breaking away from the United Kingdom.

On the down side, rumors have abounded for centuries in America that black cats were witches in disguise, or at the least were familiars to witches. A black cat that crossed your path would bring bad luck, or even try to steal your soul! And, sadly, this foolishness has led to many black cats being harmed simply because of their fur color, or not being adopted from shelters.

So what makes a black cat black? According to Dr. Marilyn Menotti-Raymond, a staff scientist at the National Cancer Institute's Laboratory of Genetic Diversity, black cats are black because of a genetic "accident." A black cat gets its coat color from a combination of three genes: a dominant "brown" gene that determines the darkness of the hair pigment, a dominant "dense" gene that ensures complete coverage of the hair, and a mutated, recessive "agouti" gene that would normally produce banding on the fur. It is this combination that has caused black cats to lose their normal striping and appear solidly black.

My humans believe that having a black cat in the house is very lucky, and, fortunately, many other enlightened humans feel the same way. Rumors are rumors, and superstitions are nothing but unfounded fantasies and vapors. Just ask any of the thousands of people who have the amazing GOOD fortune of having a black cat in their house and they will tell you the same thing. And hopefully some day black cats will be loved the world over for the fine, amazing animals we are!
Your friend,
Obie

*****

A friend recently expressed concern when her kitten, Casper, started licking the pumpkin she was carving for Halloween. She wondered if Casper could get sick from the pumpkin. I know that when my older sister, Tabitha Susan, was having a lot of stomach problems and diarrhea, her vet suggested that my humans give her small amounts of pumpkin to help her stomach. Pumpkin is very high in fiber, and can give relief to a cat or dog that has diarrhea. So, Megan, I'm sure Casper will be fine.

*****

I received a really nice email from a lady named Sandy who adopted a black and white cat named Louise from Salem Friends of Felines on Mother's Day this year. The kitty is now called MoMo, and has settled into their lives and taken a place in their hearts. I could tell from the email that she loves MoMo a lot, and I'm sure MoMo loves her, too. And from the picture she sent me, of MoMo resting comfortably on a pillow on their bed, I can see that MoMo, like me and my brothers and sister, has full run of the house!

Thanks for the email and picture, Sandy! Give MoMo a big hug for me!

*****

Halloween is fast approaching, and it can be a dangerous time for black cats. Please, if you have a black cat, keep it indoors during this time of the year. All cats should be kept indoors for their own safety, anyway, but it is especially important to keep black cats out of harm's way on this, my least favorite of holidays! So, for your kitties sake, keep him or her safely inside your house. Thank you!