What Is Black Cat Day?
Black Cat Day, observed every October 27, was created in 2011 by the UK charity Cats Protection to celebrate black cats and challenge the superstitions that have dogged them for centuries. In the US, a separate Black Cat Appreciation Day falls on August 17 — but October 27 has become the date most associated with honoring these sleek, misunderstood felines, landing right in the heart of Halloween season.
Why Black Cats Need a Day
The statistics are sobering: shelter workers consistently report that black cats wait longest for adoption and are adopted at lower rates than cats of any other color. Some of it is superstition. Some of it is tragically practical — black cats are harder to photograph for adoption listings, so they get fewer clicks.
Black Cat Day exists to push back: to remind people that a black cat’s personality has nothing to do with its coat, and that the “unlucky” label is pure folklore.
A Brief History of Black Cat Superstition
Black cats weren’t always feared. In ancient Egypt, cats of all colors were revered. Sailors once considered black cats good luck — many ships kept one aboard. The dark turn came in medieval Europe, when black cats became associated with witchcraft, a stigma amplified by a 1233 papal bull. By the time of the Salem-era panics, the damage was done.
Modern culture has been kinder: from vintage French posters to internet-famous house panthers, the black cat has become an icon of mystery and elegance rather than menace.
Black Cats in Vintage Art
Few artists captured the black cat’s mystique like Théophile Steinlen, whose 1896 Chat Noir poster — advertising a Parisian cabaret — remains one of the most reproduced cat images in history. Around the same era, America’s Black Cat magazine (1895–1923) put a sinister black cat face on newsstands monthly, cementing the animal’s place in popular visual culture.
We’ve gathered ten of the finest vintage black cat artworks — Steinlen’s posters, Black Cat magazine covers, and more — as high-resolution printables in The Cat Pack, Vol. 4: 10 Vintage Black Cat Art Printables. They make striking Halloween decor, and the Chat Noir poster is a year-round statement piece.
How to Celebrate Black Cat Day
- Adopt, don’t shop — ask your local shelter about their longest-waiting black cat.
- Share the love — post your black cat with #BlackCatDay on October 27.
- Decorate — vintage black cat art brings Halloween elegance without the kitsch.
- Learn — read up on the real history behind the superstitions, and tell a friend.
And if you want the whole feline art collection — all five Cat Pack volumes plus our bonus 1903 storybook, 64 artworks total — the Complete Cat Pack bundle has you covered.
