Black cats have been a controversial topic since the beginning of their existence. Throughout centuries, they have been subject to persecution and misjudgment and viewed in a negative way. On the opposite side, in some cultures and countries they are the symbol of good luck- such as Japan and parts of England.
In the United States, black cats still need us today more than ever. They are the least adopted cats from shelters and need our love and protection.
In the early days of television in the United States, many stations located on VHF channel 13 used a black cat as a mascot in order to add a positive note to the "unlucky" channel number.
On a similar note, when the Space Shuttle program naming system for missions was reworked to avoid an STS-13, some sourced this to superstition and Apollo 13. The STS-13 was later changed to STS-41-C. In the meantime, the crew created a patch which featured a black cat design and the number 13. The mission was successful.
Here is the other patch the crew made for STS-41-C which would have been STS-13, and it landed on Friday the 13th.
By Bp1222 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19125534
In 2014 Toronto, Canada, there was an adoption event held during which people were encouraged to adopt a black cat without paying the usual adoption fee. Since then, this became a trend which had now spread across the United States in order to increase black cat adoptions.
However, we still have a long way to go before black cats are treated with the love and respect they deserve from everyone. We can all share the love for these beautiful, sensitive creatures which are no different than the other different colored counterparts, and if possible, take one into our homes and into our hearts. Because they need and deserve our love and we would be lucky to have them in our lives. If you can, adopt a black cat.